The Eclipse Series
by Lammybug
Summary: Day and night combine to create the eclipse of a new era. A new world has begun. Collection of one shots based on the 'Noctum' verse.
1. Scars

A/N: This collection of One Shots follows the 'Noctum Will Rise' verse. It is highly recommended that you read that fic before you read these.

Disclaimer: This collection of one shots is only meant for entertainment purposes.

Setting: Takes place a couple months after Noctum ends.

Scars

She had never considered herself a particularly vain person before. True, she was a girl and there was a level of feminine pride when she regarded herself in a mirror. It was just that she had never worked especially hard at it. There were never long grooming sessions where her hair had to be just right or her eye shadow had to be this exact shade to enhance the color of her eyes. Those were reserved for special occasions. In the every day, it was just the normal routine and usual grooming.

It was not until recently that she spent more time looking at herself in the mirror. When she started seeing all the imperfections that appeared on her face and on her body. Maybe she had been so busy with the every day things of her busy royal life and had not noticed, but she noticed them now. It had started out as merely something that caught her attention and then had quickly changed from fascination to obsession.

To have her notice such things now when she was busier than ever. She had a kingdom to reorganize and rebuild. She had a council full of advisors that did not agree with her. She had a country full of citizens that were expecting results. She had a working crystal that she needed to figure out. Yet, the thing most prevalent within her mind was Noctis. He could drive her to distraction just with the mere mention of his name. She wonders if she could distract him like he seemed to distract her, even when he was not even there.

It was not as if she had that many opportunities to even see him for him to affect her so. They were from different countries and they were both rulers. They could not just drop everything just to look upon each other. They both had responsibilities. They both had conferences to attend. It did not matter how strongly they felt for each other, there was a point where things just took more precedence. As deeply and as intensely as they felt for each other, there were things that they were obligated to do first. That being such, it did not stop the affect that he had on her.

With Noctis' official visit to Tenebrae, her anxiety increased, as did the amount of time she spent looking at herself within a mirror. It was not that she was trying to make herself prettier in his presence. Well, there was a little bit of that but this was an entirely different issue. It was more the fact that he had taken to giving her a certain look whenever he looked her. Oh, she knew that he loved her. He still had not said it aloud but she knew from the way she felt around him. He did not reach out to touch her very often. Touch seemed as unnatural to him as wearing white would be. It was in his voice and in the way the air sparkled around them whenever they were in each other's presence. There was feminine intuition afterall.

No, this was different. It almost outweighed the knowledge that she knew he loved her. Somehow it was not enough. Not enough because there was that look to his eyes that hinted that he was not entirely happy with what he saw in her and it looked like it pained him to see it. That there was something deficient within her that he could see and his already quiet nature would never let him express. Lest he hurt her feelings. Which was the real reason why she was staring in the mirror longer. She was looking for that something that she seemed to be missing and in her search for that lack, she found all the imperfections within her person.

Insufficient. That was how she had felt whenever he gave her that look. That look that he had just given her as they had passed each other in the halls. Oh, he had greeted her and they had spoken a few words. He had smiled one of those rare smiles that had butterflies swarming within her stomach and had promised to see her later that evening. Later that evening in private, that is and it made her feel all the more anxious as she looked in the mirror again.

This had to stop. She was a ruling monarch for goodness sakes. She was more than sufficient, was she not? Any man would want her. Noctis should want her too. Noctis did seem to want her. It should not matter all that much if there was something that she lacked because he seemed to love her anyway. Yet, that feminine pride in her would not let this pass. She knew there would be no one else but Noctis. She wanted to think that there was no one else for him either, but she could not help but start to feel that maybe she was not all. He was a King now. Who would not want to marry a king?

It is with this underlying panic and anxiety that grips her, that she passes the rest of her day. The meetings almost go unheard to her ears and she moves about the day lost in her own musings. Musings that revolved around every insecurity that she never thought she had. It does not help to hear that the council had volunteered several of the ladies in waiting with the task of showing Noctis and his party around the city. Something that she had promised to do herself. How dearly she had wanted to show him her favorite spots, her favorite places to dine and she had not been able to because of who she was.

Catty was never a word that she would have associated with herself, but she cannot help but describe herself as such when the aforementioned ladies in waiting returned from their tour. As they chattered around her, giving her updates on how things had progressed, she feels her mood completely worsen to panic. They were filled with wonder at the party from Nihilsomno. They were equally enchanted by their King. Her ears were filled with their praise of him. How he was quiet yet courteous. How he interacted with his friends. How his friends were just so charming. She almost wanted to cry.

She almost did not make it to dinner that night. There was no way she would show herself to be insufficient tonight. Not when she could only see beauty and grace within her own ladies in waiting. How much more feminine. How much more complete than she. She would not be able to bear that look again from across a table full of dignitaries and her oh so charming ladies in waiting around her. It would be considered rude. It would be considered an insult. So, tonight called for a little extra grooming and a stunning dress.

Her heart nearly broke when she entered the dining hall and saw Noctis turn to greet her. His smile waned as he looked at the cleavage she had been determined to show. Without another word, nor a glance, he escorted her to her chair and pulled it out for her. Then politely gave her a bow and headed towards his own seat at the other end of the table. Was her insufficiency her breasts? She admits to herself that she had never given them much thought and she certainly never thought Noctis preferred larger ones. She felt the impulse to run.

She stayed in her seat and acted as dignified a Queen that she had been taught to be. The chatter around her not heard at all but she kept a smile plastered upon her features and did not dare look in his direction. When it was over, she made rushed but polite excuses and all but ran back to her rooms. Back to her rooms where she nearly burst into tears. She thinks she would have. She was just about there. The tears were accumulating in the corners of her eyes.

"Stella?"

His voice never ceases to send shivers down her spine. He is standing on her balcony, just at the door, but he has not entered. Of course he would rush to her. He who could sense whatever she was feeling as if he was feeling it too. He may have found her lacking but that did not mean he did not care. She felt her heart beat faster at the thought.

His teleporting powers, as well as his other powers, had greatly improved with the reactivation of his new crystal. It was to the point where he could appear in any room within the castle. He just did not because he respected the privacy and did not take advantage. She was so thankful for his nobility and sense that she is almost relieved. That is until she realizes that he can feel her emotions and he does not need to see her for that. Right now she knows he does not understand what is wrong and she is faced with a moment of male ignorance.

"Stella, are you going to come out?" he asks from the doorway. She cannot see him but she can imagine the worry that is on his face. That worry that is always in his eyes.

She hastily wipes the wetness from her eyes before she makes her way to face him.

"Sorry," she manages weakly.

"What is it? What is wrong?" he asks and the torn expression on his face makes her heart sing in triumph that he cares as much as it also makes her ache.

She could say it was nothing and try to distract him but that is not in her nature to do.

She is about to be honest with him when she sees it. She sees the way his eyes flash to her cleavage again and the look in his eyes when he does. It is enough to make her pause and reassess everything that she has been thinking. Was that, guilt, in his eyes when he looked at her there? Her mouth forms a big 'O' as it all comes to her. It comes with such clarity that she almost wants to hit herself for her foolishness. He had not been looking at her breasts at all.

"Why do you look at it like that?" she asks him instead.

The question startles him and he looks away from her. He stays quiet for so long that she does not think he will answer.

"Because I am the one who did that," he answers finally.

Unconsciously, her hand reaches up and rubs against the scar in the valley of her breasts. The place where his blade had embedded itself into her chest. Even now, months later, she can feel the phantom pain of it. It had scarred instead of disappearing when she had come back to life. So had the scratch he had made on her arm. Just like the mark she had left on his chin. She reaches up to his face to touch it.

"And I did that," she says and she is sorry that she was responsible for marring his perfect skin. Hers eyes look up to his and the intensity of his gaze makes her feel it all the way down to her toes.

"I deserve more than just that," he says reaching to take her hand. "For what I did," and his eyes look at her scar again. "It pains me whenever I see it. That I am responsible for marring such perfection."

She cannot even describe the relief that she feels at his words. He thought she was perfect? It feels like she's floating and only his hand over hers was keeping her on the ground. It had never occurred to her that the sight of it would bother him so much, but she should have guessed. Should have guessed when she knew that it was always clearly visible in the V neck shirts she always wore. She smiles brilliantly up at him and clutches the sides of his face so she can kiss him. She kisses him to comfort the both of them and she feels so complete when she feels his lips respond. One of his hands moves to wrap securely around her waist while the other keeps her head in place.

A sweet sigh escapes her lips when they part and they enjoy a moment of quiet as they both catch their breathes.

"Do not feel guilty for this," she says. "I know you would not have done it if I had not tricked you in the first place."

"The outcome was the same."

"The outcome is that I am standing here, with you, where I belong. It would not have been that way if you had let me kill you."

His intense red eyes look at her scar again but he does not look any less guilty at her words.

"I want you to kiss me," she says.

He looks at her questioningly for a moment and then the hand behind her head pulls her towards his face. But she pushes against his chest and shakes her head. Red eyes look at hers in question.

"Not there," she says. She points to the scar on her chest. "Here."

"There?" he asks and the agony and confusion on his face tempts her to kiss him again.

"Yes, there," she insists.

He looks so torn as he looks down at it and she knows this is right. To kiss it would be to accept it and it would help him, it would help the both of them to move past it. As he lowers his face, she runs her hand through his hair and smiles as she feels the light press of his lips against her scar. It feels like a prayer, like some sort of reverence. When she looks into his eyes again, she can see that some of the guilt has lessened. It was not entirely gone but it had lessened. It was a step. A very small step, but it was forward and not backward and that was enough for now.

"I want you to do that whenever you decide you feel too guilty and feel the need to stare at me that way again," she says, because she does not like his guilt. Especially when he was not to blame.

"Even in public?" he asks with a raised eyebrow and she rolls her eyes at the completely male comment.

"I suppose some self control is needed in those situations," she says, trying not to laugh.

"Will this alleviate your worry that I do not find your breasts to be insufficient?"

The questions startles her and she's completely mortified. She pulls enough away from him to look up at his face and sees the smirk on his lips. She feels her face become hot and she is sure she has never blushed so scarlet in her life. He knew, oh of course he would be able to read her through their connection. Too busy in her self deprivation she had forgotten that he would hear her thoughts too.

"And tell me why I would ever think there was any part of you that I would find deficient."

Embarrassed was a word that she felt was insufficient at the moment.

* * *

A/N: If there are any requests, I am open to them.


	2. Umbra

A/N: This fic was requested by Warangel88 and Selena.

Umbra is Latin for Shadow.

Umbra

There was nothing more therapeutic than when he was by himself, with music playing in the background, in the royal garage tuning up his beloved, Umbra. He reveled in the dirt, grim and grease that covered his hands and his clothes as he worked. The garage had replaced his constant, nightly visits to the throne room. The throne room that no longer held the solace that it once had. Too much had happened there and he found it better to ignore the whispers when his mind was otherwise engaged. So in the wee hours of the night, he found himself in the garage, either refining or polishing Umbra. Not tonight though. This was no mere casual maintenance but an overhaul of sorts.

He had known there would be some sort of backlash in the aftermath of what had happened a couple months ago. People did not respond well to change, even if that change was for the better. He had known there would still be opposition to his monarchy. That there would be those who begrudged the fact he was the most powerful of the users of the crystals. That they would begrudge that his kingdom had remained the supreme nation in a world starting over.

It did not seem to matter that he was trying. That he was trying to make things right. Trying to share what knowledge his people had possessed about the crystals with the rest of the world. It was never enough. It would never be enough it seemed. Of course it never would be, but that did not mean that he would not try.

So it had begun. His enemies had dwelt in secret. They were starting to test him. It had started with inconsequential things. Things that he had not even noticed. A mishap here, something missing there and then they become obvious. When a strange "accident" in the construction of his new rooms. That it was taking so long to have his rooms rebuilt from the attack is another mystery. This accident just so happened to occur when he was overlooking the progress himself. The reinforcements holding a beam snapped and went hurtling towards he and his friends. It had been nothing that his powers could not protect him from. A flash of blue and the impact of steel against copper and the beam was levitated above his head. Then the beam was promptly dropped a safe distance away. The dust and debris that filled the air was unavoidable on his part with the sheer amount of weight that the beam had. Des had screamed about the ruining of another of his favorite shirts and the bits of concrete in his hair. Vires had shouted and yelled and barked out orders. Sapien had merely rolled his eyes, dusted off his jacket, adjusted his glasses and muttered, "Amateurs."

It had so obviously not been an accident. What followed was a rather heated discussion between himself and Sapien. It had been revealed by the not too subtle Des that this was not the first time something like this had occurred and it had angered him that his friends had been keeping these incidences from him.

_Bunch of nannies_, he thinks as he makes sure to secure the new shock absorber on Umbra. Replacing the one that had been tampered with recently.

These attempts to test his strength and awareness. He doubts these are actual attempts on his life. They were merely the workings of insecure men who were too afraid to openly confront him. Not that he could entirely blame them. Seeing as he had purposely played a fool all his life. Maybe he had played the part too well if none of these men seemed confident that he had the wits to lead a nation. Well, more than a nation. He was going to aid in ruling the world.

But this, this was almost the last straw to his patience. They had tampered with Umbra. Tampered with her and obviously not done a good enough job to hide it either. As if he would not have been able to tell just from the sounds she made that something was amiss. They had put a trigger in the gas tank and he had already had to replace the front suspension. His red eye flairs brightly so he can see a small tracking device attached to the very bottom of Umbra's body.

Making a grumbling sound, he moves to lie down on the ground so he can see where it was attached. Right in an area where he could just barely get his fingers through. It was a tight squeeze but he was just about there. He feels it give way and his fingers slide back out. Looking at the offensive device, he vows some sort of retribution for this invasion of his precious Umbra. Come morning he was going to… and the rest of his thoughts are cut off by a sudden weight on his stomach and an undignified, "Omph!" that escapes his lips from the impact. He barely, just barely manages not to slam his face against the bottom of Umbra in the process.

"Stop that," comes the admonishment and he feels the tension inside him immediately release at the sound.

"Stop what?" he asks looking up at Stella.

Stella who is sitting on his stomach with her legs on either side of his body. Her long blonde hair surrounds him and a smirk reaches his lips as he looks into her bright blue eyes. He wants to touch her but she pins both of his hands on the floor beside his face.

"Stop thinking about how you are going to avenge the violation to your beloved motorcycle," she says with a smirk of her own. "And no, keep your hands to yourself. You will get grease all over my outfit."

Red eyes peak to get a glimpse of what she is wearing. It is not what he expects and he still feels the pangs of guilt as he sees a peak of the scar on her chest.

""What are you doing up?" he asks looking back up into her eyes. It had to be quite late.

"Like I had to even guess where you would be tonight," she says with a small laugh. "Have you finished then?"

"Yes," he says with an answering smirk. "And though I really do not mind… but, do you intend to keep me pined to the floor?"

"Maybe," she responds with a giggle that does funny things to his chest. The light behind her makes it look as if there is a halo around her and he wonders, yet again, how such an angel could be in his life. He cannot help himself as he pushes his upper body upwards to sit upright and she slides down to his lap. Keeping her hands clasped within his greasy ones, he lowers his face and softly kisses the scar on her chest. He feels the rest of the tension within him drain away as he looks back up into her smiling, understanding eyes. She gives him a quick peck on the lips in response.

"But pining you down does not serve the purpose of my being here," she says with a smirk. With that she releases his hands and jumps away from him before he can try to pull her to him again.

_An angel that will be the death of me_, he thinks as he takes a better look at what she is wearing.

There was no question that she was wearing white. Though sometimes, sometimes she would surprise him by mixing black and white together. When she was feeling particularly cheerful, she wore blue. The same blue that matched her eyes but she insisted matched the color of his rune. She was so stunning when she wore blue. He smiles at her back as he wipes the grease from his hands.

It was to be white tonight and just not white. White leather, as in tight white leather pants and a slim fitting white V neck tee. She is in the middle of putting her matching white leather jacket on too when he twirls her around and into his arms. The music playing on the radio is slow and he finds himself leading her in a slow dance.

She laughs softly and he feels that fluttering in his chest again as she turns her eyes up to smile at him. He keeps his hands on her waist, underneath her jacket and her hands rest upon his shoulders as she lets him lead her along to the slow melody. With a soft sigh, she presses herself against him and buries her face in his chest as they sway. One of his hands move to the back of her neck and he lightly brushes his thumb against the pale skin there as his chin rests upon the top of her head.

"You will win," she says. "I know you will."

He tenses a little at her words but he does not stop their movements. "Right now I am doubting…"

"No, you cannot doubt," she says and he can feel her shake her head. "You will triumph above this idiocy. You shall rise above them all."

He finds himself sighing as his thoughts go back to the thoughts of scheming men and jealous rivals.

"You did not have another nightmare, did you?" she asks pulling away to look up into his face.

His lips form a thin line. The nightmares had not ceased, but he knows to tell her would make her feel guilty. "So, what brings you down here all dressed for battle?" he asks instead and there is a smirk on his face again.

He can see the disappointment in her eyes for a moment before she covers it over with a smile. She pushes away from him to put her hands upon her hips.

"I had a feeling you were done with Umbra," she says. "I want to go for a ride."

"Now?" he asks. It is in the middle of the night. But it is a pleased smile that creeps onto his face at the prospect.

"What better time to take her out for a ride?" she says. "The both of you were made to live in the night."

"And have you draped all over my back?" he asks.

"Not tonight," she says with a laugh as she throws his black leather jacket at him. His helmet follows suit. He catches them easily in his hands and puts them on. "Sapien put together something for me."

"Did he now?" he asks and he finds himself immediately intrigued and a little bit jealous.

He watches her as she ties her hair back and puts her own, white helmet on.

"I will meet you outside," she says as she walks towards the exit.

He watches her until he cannot see her any longer before he puts his gloves on and starts up Umbra. The throaty, rich sound of the engine reevying makes him smile as he releases the brake to meet her outside.

At the sight before him, he wants to call his friend out on the fact that he must have a fancy for Stella too. Because there is no way he would put together such a magnificent machine for just a friend. The bike she was perched upon perfectly suited her with its white glossy sheen. It was smooth and curved and beautiful. It was made for her.

"Race you to the end of the tunnel," she shouts underneath her helmet and races off without a backwards glance.

His last thoughts, before racing after her, was that he was going to have words with his friend.

* * *

End Notes: **War**, I hope you enjoyed this. **Selena**, I hope you like the add in with the dancing. I added that in just for you but if you want a separate fic for it. I will put my thinking cap on for one. **Stella Caelum**, I had written this before you asked about Noctis having nightmares after Noctum. If you want an entire one shot based on that, let me know.


	3. Rex

A/N: This is **Selena's** request. I hope you enjoy!

I know most of you thought about dinosaurs when you read the title, but Rex is latin for 'King'. :) It takes place before Scars and sometime after Noctum.

Rex

These were exciting times. They were exciting and scary and new. The world was starting anew and she had been given another chance at life. Another chance in every sense of the term. She who had lived her life so that nothing was wasted, could do no less with her second chance. Regrets had been things that she seldom knew and seldom felt. So it was only natural for her to continue in that vein. She had thrown herself into the royal duties that her father had left behind.

There was no word to describe the sorrow of his passing. She had loved her father, despite everything. They had never agreed and he had always been a little distant but he had never been unkind. She could see now, why that had been necessary on his part. She could not know that he had been the leader of the Mysterium. He had known to eliminate any possibility of her betraying him, no matter how unlikely. She understands why he had been so adamant that she not form any sort of attachment to the Caelum prince. He had outright forbade her from being part of the peace party with Lord Nuntius. How effective that had been.

Tonight was another step from the new beginning. Tonight saw the official dawn of a new era. Tonight, Noctis was crowned King. He would finally be king, as had been his right all along and the entire world had just witnessed it.

The entire city of Nihilsomno was alight. Visitors from all over the world had come to pay homage to the new king. Finally, the outer gates had been reopened and foreigners had been allowed free entry. The streets were filled with spectators waiting eagerly for just a glimpse of Noctis and the visiting aristocracy from around the globe. The air was festive and hopeful. The city had changed so much since the first time she had come here.

It was a full moon tonight. She knows that Noctis would not have had it on any other night. The moon did not shine as brightly anywhere else than it did here. This city that seemed to thrive in the darkness of the night. The actual crowning had already occurred within the grand cathedral dedicated to the soul purpose of a coronation. Now was time for Noctis' grand procession through the city to the meticulously planned gala to celebrate and finish the night. She and the rest of the users of the crystals, now known as Crystal Bearers, followed behind him, in their own fancy cars.

All moonroofs were opened as each of the Crystal Bearers stood to wave their greetings to the citizens all around them. Silver confetti littered the skies and rained around her as she smiled and waved at everyone that she passed by. There were flowers and shouts and black shimmering streamers that decorated the streets as her car made it's way to the party hall. She could make out the back of Noctis' head a few cars in front of her. She would know that impossible hair anywhere and she smiles at the look of pride upon his face. His image being broadcast onto the jumbo trons located throughout the entire city. He looked like such a striking figure with his coronation suit and the crown looked as if it was only his head that it should rest upon.

What a great king he would make. She would follow him anywhere he wished to go.

Large high beamed lights shone through the night sky as she approached the party hall and sees the silver carpet that had been laid out for their arrival. It was a black and white event and those fortunate enough to attend within the main hall were all dressed to the nines. Her hair was up in a drooping bun with strings of opal wound all about her hair. Two studded moonstones adored her ears. Her own dress was an ivory satin that shimmered into a whisper of silver. Carefully stitched lace had been embroidered into the full bodice along with the voluminous skirts that rustled with each move she made. The scoopneck afforded her a somewhat modest neckline that was accentuated by the dainty necklace hanging just at the top of it. Yards of wispy material bunched at each of her shoulders to flow down freely along her arms. She did not have to worry about exposure when she bent to exit her vehicle and stepped onto the brightly lit silver carpet to greet the awaiting photographers.

Back straight and head up, she made her way to gracefully walk through the line and smile as she passed the many flashing cameras. She could see a few of the Crystal Bearers speaking briefly to the press. Necessary in these times to give the appearance of unity. Unity that had been so seldom seen in the world before.

As she walks and answers random questions along the way, her thoughts travel to each of the Crystal Bearers. She had met them all the day before, at the peace conference and marveled at the fact that they were all young in age, as she was. That the gods had seen fit to grant such power to a younger generation was both humbling and frightening. The age between all of them was within ten years.

Fulgur had been the first one she had met. He was of the Inferus dynasty just south of the borders of Nihil. He had a fierce look to him with long blond hair and sharp features. His family had been appointed by the people when the crystals had begun to die. He had considered it a great honor when his powers had manifested themselves the day the world started over. The speed with which he conducted himself was very reminiscent to the origins of his name. Flash within a flash and he was gone and you felt a certain tingling upon your skin when he departed.

The next had been Tonitrus of the Summus. His hair was black as night and matched the color of his eyes. He was a large man. Large seemed maybe too small a word for him. He had a very commanding voice that was very alarming at first. She could feel her ears ringing in an echo every time he addressed her. Not that he was unkind by any means. He was just a tad bit rough around the edges and little bit too blunt.

Grando was a bit like his name. When he had arrived and made his way towards her, he seemed to leave chaos in his wake. Well, more like things were a mess because he very clumsy. He had inadvertently knocked over a table of official documents and sent everything flying in every direction. He was of average height and had this boyish charm that you could not deny. It was clear that those longer than average legs of his were the reason for his clumsy nature. But he smiled genuinely and was gracious and she liked him immediately.

Procella of the Crystalli was a stunning figure. Her hair was almost white and her eyes were the clearest blue that she had ever seen. Her own eyes were a sapphire tone but Procella's eyes were like ice. She was long and lean and looked down her nose at everyone. Not that she could help it. She was just so tall. She mostly greeted everyone with a raised eyebrow and chilly smile. To her it had been a slight bow in acknowledgment but her tone was always clipped and sharp and impatient. She made other women feel so inferior with her icy grace. So of course all the men could not help but stare at her.

Vitrum and Mira were an adorable pair. Twins and she could not help but find them fascinating. They were the youngest of the Bearers and were just a joy to watch. Vitrum was the older and fiercely protective of his younger sister. They both had violet hair and wine colored eyes. They were both equally beautiful in completely different ways. The only similarity were their hair and eye colors. Mira was shy and quiet and Vitrum was attentive and sweet. She who was an only child felt like she had gained a younger brother and sister in them.

Militis of Tutis was a very serious sort of person. He was very knowledgeable in the art of war and the toughness of politics but not much else. Even to this, he had opted for a full military issue suit in black. His manner was gruff and precise and he did not seem to tolerate anything less than the best. He had been the one to challenge Noctis to a duel that ended longer than she had expected and was rougher than she would have liked. In the end, Noctis had been the victor and had earned the respect and support of this hardcore man.

Astra of the Infervesco was as kind as she was bright. Her auburn hair and emerald green eyes reminded you a deep, rich redwood forest in the early afternoon. Her long curly hair draped loosely down her back in long luscious waves. Softly curled bangs hung over her eyes as she spoke in pleasant tones. She seemed to float about instead of walk, her movements were so fluid. There was an airy presence about her that made you feel safe and at peace. She could see in her a true friend.

Sol of the Solis dynasty was easily the most beautiful man she had ever seen in her life. She along with several of the other ladies had openly gawked as his figure seemed to materialize before them. His golden hair and golden eyes absolutely sparkled with the power of the sun. His smile blinded as much as it enthralled and it was very hard to ignore his presence whenever he was in the room. Through his façade of indifference she saw someone who was very intelligent and yet completely self absorbed. She knew she would have to keep her eye on him.

Her thoughts turn towards the present as she climbs into the elevator shaft with Astra and Procella.

"I am so very nervous about tonight," confesses Astra.

"You should get used to it," says Procella a bit too coldly. "This is the life we have been chosen for."

"It will get easier in time. I am sure of it," reassures Stella with a warm hand upon the other girl's shoulder.

"I would much rather be alone," says Astra.

"Alone? When there is so much fun to be had?" asks Procella and it looks like she's thoroughly perplexed by the idea.

"What fun is there to be had?" asks Astra in a hopeful voice. She looks back and forth between the two of them.

"There is dancing. There is the gossip of others. There are sights that cannot be beat," says Stella. She knows that for a fact. She had met Noctis in the very same hall.

"If you like that sort of thing," says Procella but she does not look as disagreeing as her tone.

"Who shall I dance with?" asks Astra with a sudden look of worry.

"Do you not realize who you are?" asks Procella in a somewhat scolding manner. "You are a chosen one. You are a Bearer of the Crystals. What man would not want to dance with you?"

Stella tries to smile in agreement but the harshness in Procella's tone degrades the compliment of her words.

"Just refrain from dancing with Grando," warns Procella with a sniff of her nose. "He would more easily break your toes than lead you in a successful waltz."

The two others giggle at her words and Stella sees the tension lessen in Astra's shoulders.

The ding of the elevators alerts them to their arrival.

"Now remember, we are the proud. We do not slouch our shoulders," instructs Procella as the doors open and her icy glance returns. She all but flows through the doors and Stella sees the crowd part in her presence.

"Talk about an entrance," says Stella as she shares a grin with Astra.

They both exit the elevator together and she cannot help the gasp that escapes her lips as she looks at how the hall has been decorated.

The room was littered with white trees, bared of any leaves, with various glass ornaments hanging from each branch. The moon provided the backdrop, making the entire room shine with its luminance. It caused the intricately carved glass ornaments to sparkle as brilliantly as if they were stars shining brightly all about the room. The marble floor shimmered and glowed as if you were walking upon a magical lake. The distant sounds of wind chimes and the gentle twinkling sounds of glass made you think you were in an enchanted forest with the soft breeze at twilight. She could almost feel the phantom breeze as she walked towards the middle of the crowded dance floor.

It was the most stunning sight she had ever seen in her life and it perfectly matched the man that it was all in honor of.

Dinner was called and she took her seat a good distance away from him beside Astra. It would have saddened her if he had to sit alone with everyone watching him, but was grateful when his three friends sat on either side of him to keep him company. The delicacies before her were presented with such flourish and such whimsy that she almost hesitated to eat them. Flowers and various other things provided garnishes and each course looked more colorful than the last.

She felt him throughout the meal, even from this distance. The sheer magnitude of his presence always called to her. Even when she could not see him. Looking up, she catches his gaze and the complete focus of his red eyes makes her breathe catch within her chest. She could not help the smile that crosses her lips as they seem to communicate with their eyes.

_Stella,_ her name came like the caress of a soft breeze and made her feel warm. She sees him move to stand and she feels her heart begin to race.

"Stella Nox Fleuret."

The stern voice breaks her connection with Noctis and she blinks up at the owner. "Yes, Fulgur?" she asks as she looks up at the tall man who had suddenly appeared beside her.

"Would you do me the honor of dancing the first dance with me?" he asks so briskly she wonders why he has asked her at all.

To refuse would be to offend. "I would be delighted," she responds with a smile and takes his offered hand.

Astra follows behind her with Tonitrus and she sees that Sol has asked Procella for the first dance. She stretches her neck a little further and she sees Noctis with Mira. A melodic symphony made up of violins plays a quick number and she's soon swept into the flurry of skirts as her partner sways her in time to the music. She sighs inwardly and assures herself that there were many dances to be had this night. Perhaps the next will be with the one she wanted to dance with most.

It was not to be. Vitrum received the next dance and then Tonitrus and it went on until she had danced with each of the male crystal bearers. Grando had been a better dancer than they had given him credit for and it was Militis who was surprisingly stiff. Maybe not so surprising given how rigid a personality the man had. It had all been enjoyable but not what she had been waiting for all night. It carried on that way until the end of what was to be the last dance of the celebration. She had lost sight of Noctis in the middle of all the dancing and had not seen a glimpse of him since then. The last note had been played and the crowd cheered with delightful applause. She clapped half heartedly with them as a not so sincere smile appeared for her most recent partner. Her partner that was not Noctis.

How was it that she had danced with everyone, even Des, yet she had not been able to dance with Noctis at all? This was not fair. The crowds were dispersing. It was already late into the night and she could feel the disappointment settling into her stomach.

_I suppose it was not to be,_ she thinks as she tries to console herself. There would other times that she could dance with him. She spies Astra waiting for her at the other end of the dance floor. With a sigh, she moves to join her when the lights dimmer even further and a spotlight flashes somewhere onto the dance floor.

She hears the mystifying sounds of an erhu begin to play and her eyes fly towards where the light is reaching. Her breathe catches completely as she sees the light follow Noctis and he is already making his way towards her. The crowds part for him and his eyes stare so very intensely at her that she feels as if the rest of the room has vanished. Everything has vanished except him and except her and the sound of the erhu. There is no one else and they are alone in this enchanted forest in the twilight of the night with only the moon as their witness.

They begin the dance. Slowly, they approach the other and reach out to clasp hands. At the touch of his hand upon her gloved one, she can feel a sigh. A sigh of contentment to be so close to the one she loved. With joined hands, they circle around each other until he slowly leads her into a swing to bring her close to him. Their chests press briefly before she pushes off him and he twirls her. Her full skirts sway with the motion and flair when he catches her to pull her close to him again. They glide across the dance floor like a pair of ice skaters in winter. Their hands never release the other's as they spin, step and twirl with the music of the lone erhu.

"You shine so brightly tonight," he says and there is such strain in his voice and such reverence as he pulls her close to him. "It makes me ache."

She can feel her entire being light up as his words and she knows that the smile on her lips now could rival the moon above them. It was this moment, with him guiding her so fluidly along the dance floor to the heart wrenching sounds of the erhu, that would forever be etched into her heart. She wished she could relive this moment in the times when she would be without him.

"This is like a dream," she whispers to him.

"A waking dream that you have created," he agrees.

"What do you mean?"

"The forest, the lake... you saw me here," he reminds her.

Her dream. Her dream of an angel walking through an enchanted forest at the edge of a lake. The dark angel had been him as she knew it had always been.

"You remembered," she says in voice more quiet than a whisper, as she looks around them again and sees it all for what it had been all along.

A living vision of her dream and yes, the jewels of life floated around them as they danced now. The sentiment touches her so thoroughly and so completely that she feels choked with an emotion so great that she cannot speak. She cannot even cry. She can only continue to follow his lead as he continues to glide her across the dance floor. The meaning behind all this around them. What it meant for him and what it meant for her. To use the start of his reign to fulfill the most fanciful of her dreams. It foreshadowed the extent to which he would go to see her dreams turn into reality. It was a promise and it was vow. A vow more powerful than anything within their world. More powerful than even the crystals that they could wield.

His eyes stay trained upon her face and he smiles at the dawning revelation in her eyes.

"Still not an angel, though," he reminds her with a smirk and he turns her into another spin before bringing her to him again. She feels the breathe return to her and she finally finds her voice.

"If I cannot get an angel, I can still get a boy," she replies and they share a secret smile that is only reserved for him and only reserved for her. "No longer my dark and tragic prince but now my dark and triumphant King, Noct."

"But you shall always remain the same to me," he says as he lifts her into the air and turns to bring her slowly down with both arms around her waist. They stare into the eyes of the other. "The bright star of my life."

He nudges her backwards and the dance ends with one last twirl and sway of her skirts before the music fades. His hand never lets go of hers.

The night comes to a close and the party has ended, yet the enchantment shall always remain within her. For now, the world seemed such a perfect place. A new king has been crowned. A king that she will love for the rest of her life and she hopes, just hopes that he will never let her go.

* * *

End Notes: If anyone of you are not familiar with the erhu, you must Google it. The song that inspired this waltz is called, "Moonlight Reflected in Er-Quan." You can guess why I picked it and it's such a beautiful song. I made a very simple request turn into this complicated chapter that would belong in a sequel to Noctum. I'm going to stick with one shots though. I could not just write a ball and not add a bucketful of plot. I just couldn't.

Any other requests?


	4. Nocturna Suppressio

A/N: This idea came from **Stella Caelum**. Thank you for the suggestion.

This is sometime after Scars and Umbra.

Nocturna Suppressio

It is the sickening sound of pierced flesh. The feel of the warm blood soaking the cold steel of a sword. The sharp inhale of breathe and the widening of eyes. The choked cry of dismay. The strangled sound of surprise. It is the screeching laughter of Etro and the pounding beat of his heart within his ears. The lifeless body in his arms and the emptiness in his soul. A memory and a nightmare.

"Did you think happiness was something you could possess?" he hears the mocking voice of Etro as she snarls a laugh at his pain. "Someone as tainted and as cold and as cursed."

"My life for hers. I give my life to you for hers," he says.

"But I like hers so much better. She is so much more malleable than you," is the reply. "So much more agreeable."

"It is I who you want, it was I who you have always wanted," he argues.

"Perhaps I prefer her to you now," is the flippant reply.

"No, I could not bear to live with this," he all but begs as he stares down at the body in his arms. "I must make this right."

"But you cannot make this right. It is too late."

"I can change. I will change."

"It is too late for all of that. She is mine and she has left you," and her shrill voice laughs again. It laughs even harder at the look of heartbreak on his face. "She has left you. She is mine. I do not give up what is mine."

The body in his arms dissolves and he has no chance to panic before Stella appears beside Etro. The twisted smile that touches her lips does not match the warmth of her features. He does not care. He wants her anyway. The image of them both begins to disappear before him.

"No! Wait!" he cries and the sound startles him awake. His eyes fly open to witness his outstretched hand, reaching out into the darkness of the empty room. Quick, panicked breathes escape him from a heart that does not stop racing.

A dream. A nightmare. A nightmare and nothing more. Yet, it is not nothing. For it could have happened that way. It could have, yet had not and even the relief of knowing it was a dream does not dilute the fact that it could have been. He wipes the sweat off his brow as he concentrates on calming his breathing. A dream that could have been reality.

Sleep had always been something that he had dreaded. There was never any way of knowing what dreams would befall him in his unconscious state. Along the eclipse of change, so had the visions of the night. It was no longer the mangled bodies of his parents, but rather the broken, almost unrecognizable bodies of the people he held so dear. Especially Stella's. The image of her lifeless body would forever haunt him. No matter if he were asleep or if he were awake.

He can still feel how the blade had pierced her flesh. The way the bones of her breastplate had cracked with the force of his strength. He can still so clearly see the shock, the unimaginable pain and the calm acceptance that had passed through her eyes. No longer would he dream of the white robed figure of the past. Now it was he. He would be the one standing there with the sword in his hand. He is the one that watches as the life leaves her body and the pain of loss is so acute it feels as fresh as the day it had happened.

The world that had been his life had shattered with the knowledge of what he had done and he wonders how he had not gone mad from the guilt. Marvels that he had not lost his mind. Maybe he would have if not for the fact that Stella lived now. That she was alive somewhere out there was a comfort. Even in the long weeks between the moments that he could be alone with her. There had not been many and there certainly had not been enough, but he appreciated and relished every one of them. Though most times, he feels such immense guilt whenever he sees the marks on her arm and on her chest. He does not think there will ever come a day when he would not look upon both of them without remorse or regret.

It did not matter that she had already forgiven him. She had forgiven him the moment he had done it and she held no malice because of it either. If anything, she seemed almost proud of those marks. She told him they were marks of survival and triumph. Yet he all he saw in them were failures and death. She was thankful to him and for him. He was eternally in awe of her strength.

Perhaps it was the very fact that she considered them to be so little that he found them to be so monstrous. The reason he could not let it go. It was his own fault that she had even descended to the darkness of revenge and hate in the first place. Sometimes it hurt to even look at her. To see that breathe taking smile. To hear her melodic voice. To taste her lips against his own. To feel how well she fit against his body and within his arms. To smell the intoxicating scent of her hair. To think that it was he that had been responsible for the loss of such brilliance was something that he could never forgive.

_Enough_, he can hear her voice say as if she were here with him.

No, he does not think it shall ever be enough. He was to blame for so much. Even the death of his parents was his fault. They had died to protect him. For it had been him that Etro had wanted and not them. They had sacrificed themselves so that he could live. Stella had done the very same thing. She had sacrificed herself so that he could live. He was going to do whatever it took to pay it back to her. He would live for her. He would make sure...

The sounds of his phone ringing stops him from his musings. As his eyes fall to the phone on his bedside table, the expression within them softens. He already knows who it is. Reaching for it, he flips it open and presses it against his ear.

"Forgive me," he says. "I woke you."

A soft chuckle responds. "There is nothing to forgive," says Stella. Her voice is quiet and a little clouded from being awoken but there is a smile in there too. "It gives me an excuse to hear your voice."

He wishes he can see her, but to hear her would have to do.

"Had you been dreaming?"

There is a pause at his question and he smiles because he can only guess what it had been about.

"You are just going to laugh at me," she says, but she's laughing and even through the phone, he feels his heart ease at the sound.

"When have I ever laughed at you before?" he says with a smirk.

"You are always laughing at me," she accuses. "You just do it in your head?"

"Is such a thing possible?"

"You are already teasing me and I have not even told you what it was about," she cries with a mock huff and he does chuckle out loud at that.

"I promise I will not laugh," he says.

"Do not even think you can muffle the sound either," she chides, reading his mind and he chuckles again and does not even bother to deny it. "I can hear your thoughts you know."

As if he needed reminding. He resented himself for all the troubling thoughts that she probably received from him. There would be many no matter how hard he tried to block them from reaching her. Most of the time he could, but when he was especially tired or upset or asleep, he could not help it.

"Did you dream of me?" he tries to ask as innocently as he can. His smile freezes a little as he gets a particularly strange thought from her.

Her silence does not help.

"I was dreaming of Sol," comes the guilty response.

"Again?" He does not think about his guilt as he feels something take more precedence. His jealousy.

* * *

End Note: Nocturna Suppressio is Latin for nightmare.

This was going to just be angsty and dark but I thought that since Noctis had his friends to lighten his mood in Noctum, he should have Stella now too.


	5. Ludus

A/N: This one, this one is long. I think it is the end of my daily, one shot streak. There are a lot of components in this one. Many seemed interested in the other Crystal Bearers so I decided to put something together with more of them in it.

Ludus is latin for sport or game.

Ludus

During the initial meetings, it had been decided that it was in the best interests of everyone that every member of the Crystal Bearers paid an official visit to the country of each member as a united group. A tour of sorts so that the people would see the results of the changes that were being made and the effort for unity that was finally being worked on. Fittingly, it had all started in Nihilsomno. Noctis' coronation signaled the start of their worldwide tour together. Everyone had wanted to meet him and see the advancement of his renowned city first.

The second stop had been Tenebrae and she had been glad for that. Though the trip itself had been a little bumpy, what with her irrational bouts of inadequacy in Noctis' presence. All just a misunderstanding on her part and she still scolded herself for not being more aware of the things that troubled him. She who could read him so well should have been able to better guess that it had not been her but him that he found insufficient. He felt that way when it was she who should feel that way and she did on occasion. This misunderstanding was to be expected, she supposed, for their relationship was still new and it was still overwhelming for him, more so than her. She had known from the moment she had seen him that he would be the one. He still tried to fight it most unsuccessfully, but she knew it was a losing battle and patience, which had never particularly been her strong suit, was something she was learning to manifest.

While it had been true that their official tour was not a nonstop, continuous one, there were solid plans to see it to fruition. They all had their duties and they all had their obligations to their respective countries that simply did not allow each of them to be gone so long. They would all meet in the preselected country at the same time. This tour was a twofold blessing. It gave them all an opportunity to get to know each other better and see the strengths that they all possessed. It also gave them a chance to be around others who were just like them with abilities that no one else would understand. They needed to be a united body and it did not matter what parts seemed more important than others. Every part was important, no matter how small and they needed to know their weaknesses. The opposition may not have revealed itself outright just yet but there was no doubt in any of their minds that it would be unveiled in time. Especially with all the "accidents" that seemed to be surrounding Noctis these last couple of months.

The third stop on their grand tour was Astra's homeland of the Infervesco clan. Stella had been particularly interested in this stop because she sensed the underlying excitement in Astra. Astra was shy by nature and not prone to speaking her mind. She was just too kind and too gentle, but there was a sense of pride in her that Stella had wished to see. What better way was there to see it than to give her an opportunity to show them her country and her people.

Astra was the perfect representation of her people and the surrounding landscape. Stella had never seen so many trees in one place. The main city sat in a deep valley between two mountainous peaks. Giant redwoods covered the view of buildings and protected the people from aerial assault and the mountains kept the rest away. It certainly had been a challenge to get here. Yet when you were here, you did not think of such things when you were surrounded by such natural beauty. Even if it did allow for the prominence of monsters just outside the vicinity of the city. The deep surrounding forest allowed for endless places for them to hide and thrive.

Their party had been given many different exclusive tours of the city and it was clear that Astra had great pride in her land and the productiveness of her people. The people who loved their Lady Astra and were equally loved in return. Her parents were very old but kind she could easily see that her sweetness from a loving family. The city itself was mostly made up of wood based architecture. Nature thrived here and Stella felt a little bit guilty being from a city that did nothing to help it do so. She could see the effect of the crystals here in a completely raw sense. The city glowed with its power in a different way than a more industrialized city such as Tenebrae and Nihilsomno. It was more wild and more majestic.

They were to stay in each city for a week at a time. The days were filled with endless meetings and constant debates. The nights were filled with official galas and shows of local customs. She loved the nights. She loved to hear the stories of Vitrum and Mira's misadventures as children. She loved making girl talk with Astra. She loved teasing Grando. She loved watching Fulgur and Tonitrus, Militis and Sol as the ladies could not stop gawking at them. She even loved the bland comments that came out of Procella's mouth. Most of all, she loved watching Noctis.

In between all these things it had been exceedingly difficult to spend time with him. He who was at the pinnacle of all of this did not have much time for himself, let alone time to give to her. She understood that and he did make a sincere effort to see her alone as much as he could, but he was a King and not just King of a nation. He was the head of the world.

It was not as if she had time to feel neglected either. She had a large part to play herself. They all had to understand the dealings that each country had to consider if they were all to rule in unity effectively. There was the lessons in economy and agriculture. The laws of each individual province. The customs of the people. They were all equally important and equally necessary to learn. So she had little time between her studies to feel listless and cry over such things as a lack of romance.

Maybe not a lack of romance but more the lack of time for romance. Which was not to say that things were not romantic between them. When they did see each other she felt as if her heart was full and complete. She felt everything within her sigh in contentment just by being close to him. She did not even need to be touching him either. Only the tingle of anticipation at the sight of him was enough. Touch was still something new and she reveled in every brush of his hesitant hands. He was finally becoming comfortable enough to initiate it now. Whether it be the gentle brush of his lips, his fingers through her hair or his hands around her waist. It was not just her own doing that began these acts of affection anymore. He who had not ever let anyone be close enough to do such a thing before, was slowly letting her in. He was giving her access to him in ways that he had never let anyone before. Her next mission was to rid him of his guilt. To erase that haunted, tortured look that fell across his eyes whenever he looked at her scars.

The most incredible thing of all was that he could hear her. Hear her in ways that would have seemed impossible if she had not experienced it herself. She had heard the whispers all her life so she had been familiar with the sensation. But it was different when she heard Noctis' voice in her head. Where the whispers were mysterious and often times a little frightening in their advice. Hearing Noctis' smooth tones made her feel so warm, so filled, so alive. He made sure not to bombard her with his musings, they were always rather dark and deep, as much as he could. He had more control over what he sent whereas she was trying to master how to successfully block him. It was another thing to bond them and another little game they could play together, even during the daily assemblies.

The first three days of their visit in Astra's country had been perfunctory. The daily conferences and discussions were sometimes heated and often times reflective. The nightly feasts were a little uncomfortable from them but pleasant. Today was the fourth day of their official visit and it looked like Militis was ready to blow up the entire assembly room with his impatience.

"I suggest something different today," he announces as he stands to his full height, interrupting Fulgur, who was in the middle of speaking.

All their faces turn to his. She can see Astra stiffen, Procella smirk, Sol roll his eyes and Noctis silently rest his chin on his gloved hand.

"As much as we all understand the importance of these proceedings, there are other things that we must address," explains Militis.

"Curious," comments Sol casually, as he stares at him intently.

"Given the scenery, I think it would be advantageous to do an exercise."

"What sort of exercise?" asks Grando. Her heart goes out to him because she is sure he is worried about any sort of physicality being involved.

"We all have manifested individual powers provided by the crystals that we bear," he continues. "I think it is time we showed each other what we can do."

"You wish for us to each stand in front of the rest and display them like some side show?" asks Tonitrus with his booming voice. It did not seem to matter whether he was upset or he was merely making a statement. His voice always had the most echo whenever he spoke.

"Of course not," answers Militis, with that constant impatient look in his eyes.

"What are you suggesting then?" asks Noctis and he actually looks intrigued.

"A battle," is the suggestion.

"You're not serious," says Vitrum, as a nervous Mira sits beside him.

"We are all eager to see what each of us can do and we are in an ideal place," Militis explains. "We have the forest. We have monsters and we have our powers."

"Last one standing mentality," comments Fulgur, but she can see the eagerness in his eyes.

"Should we divide up into teams? Or see how we all fair solo?" asks Tonitrus and he looks just as eager.

"Boys," she sighs to Astra, who giggles behind her hand. Boys would be boys. They would jump at any chance to show off.

"For this first exercise I think solo would be better," suggests Militis and the rest of the boys think it over. The boys because the girls think this is mostly an excuse to play.

"Vitrum and Mira would not be separated, would they?" she asks as she casts a worried glance at the twins.

"I would not leave my sister," Vitrums says, as they both send a grateful smile to her.

"They would be the exception of course," assures Militis and she blinks at the sudden tenderness in his features. Even men as hardened as Militis can have a soft spot for the twins, it seems.

"I do hope you give we women, equal opportunity in this male show of aggression," states Procella with more snip in her voice than usual.

Stella cannot help but beam at her and ignores the more than obvious apprehension coming from Noctis. The girls should be able to play with the boys.

"Are you sure?" asks Grando and she's completely taken aback by how excited he seems by all this.

"Why not?" asks Astra, speaking out loud. "Our crystals are just as powerful as yours."

"We cannot always depend upon you to save us," adds Stella with a nod. She carefully avoids Noctis' eyes and successfully blocks his thoughts from entering her mind.

"Sounds fair to me," agrees Sol with a mischievous gleam in his eyes as he regards her. She does not like the look and is glad Noctis cannot hear her thoughts either.

"It is done then," says Militis with a swish of his arm. "We shall all meet just within the borders of the city and see who wins."

"We need ground rules," says Noctis.

"To be decided when we meet later. How does after lunch sound?" asks Fulgur.

They all stare at the clock to see that it has indeed reached the noon hour.

The girls all walk together as they make their way to the dining halls. The boys follow behind debating which rules would be the best. Lunch for today, would be more lively than the previous ones with this new development. She wants to laugh at how predictable boys were and the girls all giggle at their expense. Well except Procella who merely sniffs and continues flowing down the hall.

"Say Stella," she hears later, as they are getting ready to start the competition. She turns her head and smiles.

"What is it, Des?"

"I know you have your own weapons," he says almost sheepishly. "But if you need, I could lend you my trusty rifle here."

She is touched by his consideration but cannot help but feel a touch suspicious. "Did Noctis ask you to do this?"

"No, Noct would kill me if he knew," he reassures her and he does look a little nervous. She watches as his eyes dart from here to there, but she already knows that Noctis is not close by.

"That is very sweet of you Des," she says with a smile. "But I think I'm good with my rapier."

"Just thought I'd ask, you know… since you can never be too prepared," he says with a nervous grin.

"I wish Vires and Sapien had come with you," and she means that. Noctis' little group of brothers had not been able to come together.

"Eh, no worries over that," he says dismissively. "They both feel more useful back at home than here. We'd just get into trouble here."

She laughs at the grin on his face and knows that he is right. There was not much by way of technology here and she knew that Sapien would probably have gone mad from the lack of it. There was also no one else that Noctis trusted more than Sapien, to watch over things in Nihilsomno while he was gone.

"Thank you again, Des," she says with an easy smile.

"You, won't mention it to Noct will you?" he asks and it seems a little bit absurd considering if she had taken him up on his offer, Noctis would have instantly recognized who the rifle belonged to.

"I won't," she answers.

"Well, I'm off," he says with a sigh. "I'll be one of the ones that alert each of you when one of you has been taken out of the game."

"All right."

"Best of luck, Stell," he says with a salute and then he's off.

"Do you think Vitrum and Mira will be all right?" asks Astra as she stands beside her.

"I am sure they will be," she answers.

"Who do you think will get the furthest of we girls?"

"You have an advantage over us," she says. "You know these forests by heart."

"That will not matter when I have to fight against each of you and monsters at the same time," she answers.

The rules were simple. Everyone was given 30 minutes to hide before they could officially begin the fighting. If you see a monster, you will killed it. You can come to the aid of another if it looks like they need help against a monster, but you could not help if the confrontation was between two Bearers. When one was taken down, each were alerted by way of the radio earpieces they wore. Everyone was given a sash to wear around their waist and once that sash was either sliced off, torn off or ripped off, you were considered out of the game. Lastly, there could only be one winner.

"Noctis is going to rescue you, I just know it," says Astra with a smile.

"I hope not," she answers with a sigh. She had not seen a glimpse of Noctis since lunch and he was not anywhere that she could see now. "It would disqualify the both of us."

"Must be nice."

Her eyes look at her friend in question. "What is?"

"To have a man like that keeping an eye on you," Astra says with a dreamy sigh.

Stella sighed too, but for a completely different reason. They all seemed to have a fancy for Noctis. She knew she would not be alone in that but she was still surprised to see even Procella giving Noctis the eye. That even the icy Procella held a flame for Noctis was just, well she had no words for it.

"It is more complicated than that," she says because complicated could only describe it. Noctis had trouble even drawing his sword in her presence. They had been through so much in so short a period of time. Things that had left marks on the both of them physically and emotionally and even psychologically.

"Ah, there you are Stella," says a very handsome voice, but she does not swoon like she knows many others do.

She has a moment to give Astra a hopeless look before turning to address the owner. "Yes, Sol?"

He is casually standing just a little bit too close to her and he was smiling, what she is sure he was aware of, with his most dazzling smile.

"I just wanted to wish you the best on this, little exercise we are about to embark on," he says tilting his head to stare at her.

"Thank you," she says not quite knowing what to make of that.

"To see such loveliness in danger will be hard not to rescue," he says. "I might defy the rules to rescue you from being taken out too soon."

"I am sure the danger is not too great," she says. She does not like that he plans on keeping so close an eye on her. "And I would hate for the both of us to be disqualified."

"They did not mention a prize for the winner of this," he says with a secret smile as he leans just a little bit too close to her face. "Oh that it had not been a kiss from you." His golden eyes are staring very intently at her lips and it makes her lean away from him.

"What makes you think a man will win?" huffs Procella from behind her. "I certainly would not wish to win a kiss from Stella."

Too right, she agrees. On both accounts.

"Nevertheless," responds Sol smoothly. "I think more incentive is needed than a simple, 'I am the strongest'." He has not moved away from her and he is still staring at her lips.

"I would not worry," she responds and her eyes take on a confident expression. "Noctis shall be the victor. So you need not worry about the reward."

She sees how his golden eyes flash at her confidence in Noctis. It hints at rivalry and a touch of resentment. It is only a brief moment before he smiles again.

"Let him be the victor in power, but is he a victor in all things?" he asks with a wink as he steps back from her. He looks at the three of ladies before him. "I look forward to trading blades with each of you lovely ladies." He tilts his head in salute and is on his way.

She looks at Astra, who seems torn between a giggle and a swoon.

"This is not funny," cries Stella.

"Of course not," replies Procella with another sniff.

Astra does giggle then.

"I think I shall just walk in the opposite direction over there and see the both of you after this is all over."

"Oh Stella, I am so envious!" she hears Astra say was she walks away.

Envious? What was there to be envious about? It was bad enough that she had dreamt of Sol a few times already. She had, had to confess them to Noctis which seemed to get two completely different reactions out of him. He seemed three fourths teasing and one fourth jealous that the golden man had been featured in more than one of her dreams. She could not explain why she had them herself. Yes, she was often mesmerized by how stunning he looked but no more than anyone else and she certainly had never fantasized about him consciously.

Now it seemed like she had drawn Sol's attention in an amorous way. She could feel her cheeks turn pink at the thought. This was not good.

There was no more time to think when a pair of strong arms grab her by her waist and she feels herself being teleported just behind a large redwood. There is no thinking at all when she feels demanding lips press possessively against hers and feels the arms around her press her even further into the curve of a familiar body. There is just instinct as she responds. Her hands cling to his neck and she tilts her head to fit their mouths better. She just loved the taste and scent of him. He always smelled like leather and darkness and him. He always tasted like moonlight and dark clouds. It was a strong aphrodisiac.

"I am equally euphoric at your taste," he says in response to her thoughts, as he presses his forehead against hers. There's a smirk on those lips of his and she's tempted to kiss him again.

She does not think anyone will ever rob her of breathe like he can. A small laugh escapes her as she reaches with one hand to touch his face. The feeling of being so close to him, of being able to touch him like this makes her feel so at peace.

"I cannot have you so distracted when it is you that should win this," she says in a business like manner. Her hands straighten his collar and smooth back his bangs.

"Promise me you will be careful," he says.

"Was that what compelled your urgency?"

He looks a little bashful and a little smug. "I merely wanted to tell you that any clandestine affairs should only be restricted to me."

"Not this again," she cries and she knows that he knows what just happened with Sol. "You are teasing me again."

"Did that count as a dream come true?" he asks with a raised eyebrow.

"You promised you would not laugh," she cries and she is almost tempted to hit him.

"I promised I would not laugh when you told me. Not afterwards," he says and he chuckles at her pout.

"Fine, no clandestine affairs with Sol," she concedes.

"Not even in your dreams?"

"I want you to promise me the same with Procella."

"Procella?" he asks with a frown.

"You would break poor Mira's heart if she saw you in such a position with Procella."

"Wait, what?" he looks so completely confused that she does not hold back her giggle.

"Oh please! Like you have not noticed Procella looking at you like she wants to eat you."

"I bet she could eat me," he replies so seriously that she laughs out loud.

They both sober when they hear the sounds of a trumpet in the distance, signally the beginnings of the game.

"If I could but put you high on top of one of these trees to keep you safe," he says and it looks like he is more than tempted to do just that.

"Then I would be forced to knick the other side of your chin," she threatens as her hand traces his scar.

He smirks at her and she smirks back.

"Go," she says shooing him away. "I will try my best but I already know you will win this."

"Would my prize be a kiss?"

These were the moments that she resents that he can hear her thoughts.

"You mean besides the one you just stole?" she asks instead.

A large smirk grows on his face and there is no regret there. He nods. "I will see you when this is finished, Stella," he says with a nod and then he is gone with only the trace of crystals left behind to show that he had been there.

She purses her lips as she looks about her. Then realizes that she has no idea where she is.

"You are definitely going to get another knick on the chin!" she cries and she can hear his chuckle in her head. She activates her rune and her rapier appears in her hand. Her eyes look down and sees that her sash is still in tact and thinks maybe she will spare his poor chin this time. But she realizes now, why the trumpet had sounded so far away.

Rolling her eyes, she makes a run through the forest, darting between the large bodies of the redwoods around her. The afternoon sun peaked through the tops of the trees and made her rune look all but invisible with its light. She does not get far before she hears the familiar rumble of an angry monster. It's mouth snarled and bared sharp teeth with talons that were as long as the sword in her hand.

This was a good start.

The beast attacks and she easily jumps above it and slashes her rapier along its broad back. It screams in agony and strikes back just as she jumps out of range. She does not hesitate as she attacks first this time. Her movements are so fast she is a streak of golden orange and she cleanly cuts off its head. She watches as the body shudders and falls limp, causing the ground around her to shake. There is a moment of silence before she's racing away again to face her next opponent. Thirty minutes go by very quickly as she makes her way through the winding forest.

As large and as loud as Tonitrus was, it surprises her that he was not that great a swordsman. She had all but smashed right into his chest in her running and it was only her quick reflexes that saved her the collision. His rune had flashed black and silver in the shape of a bull and she thought it suited him quite nicely. They had drawn their weapons and he had put up a good fight but in the end he had been too slow and she had cleanly sliced off his sash. The sash had barely touched the ground when she hears Des' voice announce that he had fallen. Grando, Vitrum and Mira had already fallen. She salutes Tonitrus with a swipe of her sword before she is on her way again.

As deep within the forest as she is, it does not take her very long to come across another ghastly creature that snaps its jaws and tries to eat her. This one takes a little longer because its more agile and it manages to almost rip her own sash off before she's able to amputate an arm and its head a moment later, as it had reared back in pain.

"Astra and Militis have fallen," she hears in her ears. Which meant that beside herself, Fulgur, Procella, Sol and Noctis were still in the game. The sun was almost setting now. They did not have much daylight left.

It is the tingling sensation that saves her as she jumps just in time to miss Fulgur's assault. Flipping over a large boulder, she lands easily on the another to get a good look at him before she flies towards him in return. She has to summon a twin rapier to keep up with his blows. He is just so fast. Quick as the element that he is named after and it only made sense that his rune looked like a lightning bolt. Nothing else could describe the way he fought. He was quick and striking and it seemed like the air was filled with electricity. When their swords clash, she can feel the crack of the impact go through her whole body. He moves so fast that she knows she will not last long as she continues to dodge, deflect, dodge and swing. She does a very complicated maneuver that takes him by surprise but it does not last long enough and they have both slashed the other's sashes at the same time.

"Fulgur and Stella have fallen," comes the announcement.

They are both breathing heavily as they pause to regard the other. She can feel the sweat falling down her neck and her arms feel as if they are on fire. She drops her swords and they disappear with a sparkle of crystals.

"Impressive Stella," Fulgur says as he bows to her in respect. He throws his broad sword away from him and it disappears in a flash of crystals.

She bows in return. "I would not have lasted much longer. You are amazing."

"Thank you," he says with a rare smile. "Two more are left now."

"Two?"

"Did you not hear that Procella had fallen?"

"No," and she really hadn't. She had been too busy trying to keep up with him. "Which means Sol shall fight Noctis."

"If they have not found each other already," he replies as he gestures in the direction of the city. "May I escort you back?"

"Yes, I would like that," she says as she walks in the direction of his arm. She almost feels sorry for Sol. There is no doubt in her mind that Noctis was going to do more than slice his sash off.

They are just making their way back to the outskirts of the city when she hears, "Sol has fallen. Noctis is the victor!"

_I want my kiss now,_ she hears whispered in her ear and the tone causes millions of butterflies to swarm within her stomach.

The smile that appears on her lips and shines from her eyes is what Noctis sees as he teleports directly in front of her a moment later.

* * *

End Notes: I hope everyone enjoys this one. I was going to add another author's note but my mind just went blank (too much concentration went into the writing of this one). Please check out my profile for any updates. When my mind has returned I will most likely update it. :)


	6. Cicatrise

A/N: Cicatrise means scar. It is a sort of sequel to the original Scars from Noctis' POV. She has hers and he has his.

Cicatrise

_Connected. Severed. Betrayed. Renewed with scars that will heal._

How he wishes that were true. That they had become renewed. For now he thinks he cannot be healed from the guilt. The guilt that has lessened but never ceases to return when he can see the reminders of his crime. His answer remains the same as it had that day he first heard the whispers speak those words.

_Wounds that can never be healed._

They had not and he knows that they would not. At first he had thought the guilt would cease. In some ways it had but not entirely. Stella might have gotten passed the scars and the anger and the betrayal, but he had not. Whenever he touched her, he felt like he had no right to. Most times he could not help himself and the rest of those times she would not let him draw away from her. He is torn as he has always been. The need to be as close to her as possible combined with the need to get as away as far from her made him feel like being torn in two. He revels in the moments where he manages to forget. Those moments where he does not remember his guilt and can just be and be with her. Those moments where he can kiss the scar as if he can make it disappear with the touch of his lips and the weight lessens. Lessens enough to give him hope. The same hope that he sees in her eyes.

It angers her when he goes into such moods and he would rather not have her wrath when he would rather have her smile. He is too full of contradicting emotions and he is fully aware that he does not make much sense. So he thinks about the other things that are at hand.

As much as he understood that these trips were necessary, he did not like being away from Nihilsomno. It was a week that he would be behind with the latest news from his home. The nightly updates from Sapien and Vires were not enough. The brief fifteen or thirty minute synopsis of an entire day was not enough for him. He was restless and he missed being with all his friends. Having Des and Stella around him for that week seemed the only real consolation, but he had grown selfish these last couple months. He wanted to only be surrounded by those he cared about the most. The nightmares that plagued him always pictured the many ways they could die and it was only when he could see them that he could reassure himself.

Not that these trips had not been both interesting and enlightening. He had never realized just how differently people lived and how they had suffered without the energy of the crystals. It shamed him that his people had been so selfish for so long and was grateful to whatever god it had been that seen fit to gift them with ten new ones. He has vowed many times already that he would not let that happen again. They would not misuse nor horde the gifts that they had been bestowed.

The other Crystal Bearers had each shown their initial distrust in him in their own ways. He did not blame them that. He and his kingdom more than deserved it. Militis and Sol seemed to be the main ones to give him trouble. They challenged him at every turn and were always the first to quickly offer any correction they saw fit to give him. Grando had almost immediately gotten along with Sapien with their mutual love for all things high tech. Which meant that he was easily accepted with the rest of the guys. Fulgur and Tonitrus had both been weary of him. That had changed when they realized that his general reputation of being a self obsessed brat had been inaccurate and it was easier to get them to open up to him after that.

It went without saying that he adored the twins. Mira was the cutest little girl and was very insightful for someone her age. He admired how protective Vitrum was of her. Astra was pleasant enough. She was just a tad too quiet and too hesitant and he wished she would be a bit more forward. Procella was the exact opposite. She was far too opinionated and far too forward. The perfect blend of everything that he favored was in Stella. She spoke when she needed to and even at her most heated, she knew when to draw the line.

They did not have very many of these visiting trips left and he was very glad for that. Last month's visit had been to Militis' home country. The country had prided itself on its weaponry and battle experience. He wonders how much of that were true considering they had never tried to invade Nihilsomno. Their weaponry had not exactly been state of the art but it made up for that with sheer volume. It had also, not been the most enlightening of their trips. It really had not been necessary for all of them to have target practice in two hours sessions each day. It had been fun at first but had quickly turned into something tedious.

The only benefit of the visit had been that Sol had turned against Militis and had attacked the other man at every turn instead of himself. Sol had become so exasperated at the man that he had challenged him to a duel just for the sole excuse to shoot him. Noctis' own smirk had not exactly helped matters and both men were still nursing a bullet wound each. Nothing fatal of course, but Militis was having a hard time moving his left shoulder even now. Sol had faired better in that he had blinded Militis and had gotten it in the arm.

The rest of the group had reacted differently to this exchange, which he had not noticed until he had been informed by Stella later that same night. Astra had all but fainted, which proved that she did indeed need to find a stronger backbone. Vitrum and Mira had been varying degrees of afraid, but they were still young. Procella had actually been rooting for Sol and had looked disappointed when it had been a draw. That, he had found amusing. He and the rest of the men had really not been that worried. While Stella had only just been annoyed at the whole ordeal and had observed with a frown and her arms across her chest.

He did not appreciate the amount of attention that Sol bestowed upon Stella either. The man was making his intentions very clear in regards to her. It had occurred to him that the man was merely using Stella as another way to bait him. By making advancements upon the woman that Noctis had so clearly chosen, he was testing the waters of Noctis' control. As the weeks had progressed though, he was taken aback but not entirely surprised that Sol really had become smitten with Stella. Almost as much as he himself. Maybe it had been a bit of attraction to what Noctis so obviously desired but it had definitely turned into something deeper. Stella was nothing if not attractive and desirable in every way. He could not fault the man for his interest. It did not mean that he was happy about it.

As much as he enjoyed teasing Stella, it did bother him that she had dreamt about the womanizing man. Not only dreamt of him once but on several occasions already. Which she had openly confessed to because it was not in her nature to hide. Not that she could have successfully hidden it anyway with the connection that they shared. It warmed him that she offered the information anyway.

He knew that any display of bull headed aggression against the sunny man would not be appreciated and would only cause tension between Stella and himself. Not only between the two of them but also the fragile unity between the other Crystal Bearers. Yet as he observed Sol trying to engage Stella in a teasing manner, he cannot help the flair of possessiveness that seizes him. Not when the other man was invading her personal space like that. Most especially when Stella looked particularly fetching in a white snow jacket and white pants. He feels an irrational urge to go and hold her but stops himself when he realizes that snuggling was definitely not the way to go about things right now.

He is so fixated upon the pair that he completely misses the question Mira has asked him.

"..., Noctis?" her small voice asks.

Previously slanted red eyes snap to attention and look down at her. "Sorry. What did you ask me?"

"Do you love Stella, Noctis?" she asks again, with a patient tone.

Love, Stella? He asks himself as he looks at Stella again. There must be something on his face because Mira smiles at him knowingly when he looks down at her again.

"It is complicated," he says finally.

"Only because you make it so," she says with a pat on his arm before she walks away to talk to Astra. He watches her for a moment before his eyes return to Stella and Sol. He is just in time to see Stella smile at the golden man and he feels the jealousy flair inside him.

It paralyzes him as he stands there and he can only stare as she leaves Sol and starts walking towards him. He has enough presence of mind to throw up his mental barriers before he can send something that would alert her to his current thoughts.

"I wish you would stop doing that," she says as she reaches him.

"Do what?" he asks and she huffs a little, causing a small cloud of steam to escape from her mouth.

"Blocking me so that I will not hear what new thing you are coming up with to tease me."

He wants to tell her that he was not thinking that at all but to tell her the truth might equally be disastrous.

"Perhaps I am merely planning to kidnap you," he says with a smirk.

"Promise?" she asks with a smirk of her own. There is a light in her eyes that puts his heart at ease. Then her eyes turn pensive as they focus on the high mountain peaks behind him. "Do you think we shall all be safe?"

The question brings him back to where they were and why they were there in the first place. Their current visit was in Tonitrus' home of Mons Montis. It was located high atop a mountainside that never saw the thaw of snow. It was incredibly cold and often times windy. The air was thin from the high elevation and the trek had been difficult for everyone. It had been considered a shaky ride on a lift that had frightened Mira and caused Astra to cling to Fulgur for support. Fulgur who had looked equal parts smug and uneasy that someone was clinging to him so dearly, when they usually stayed as far away from him as they could. The trip up had even caused Stella some distress and it had triggered an immediate protectiveness within him. Of course they would arrive at the same time as a snowstorm. A storm that had abated as soon as they had landed.

Now, they were to go on a hiking expedition together that would take them to one of the lower mountain peaks. It would give them an incredible view of the surrounding land, but he did not think a great view was worth these dangers. He did not want to put any of them in anymore danger than they already had been in. Having voiced these fears to the rest, it was only too obvious that it would be contradicted by the usual culprits. Militis and Sol had both demeaned his worries and Tonitrus was so eager to show off his home that he had to agree with the two. Procella was used to such freezing conditions and as clumsy as Grando was, he had been eager enough to try. Fulgur had tipped the scales when he had voted for it too. It did not matter that he thought it was a bad idea, but he had to concede. He would go along and make sure that everyone returned safely.

"We will all make it back safely," he promises her.

"I know you will protect us," she says confidently and gives him one of those smiles that makes him feel warm. She squeezes his hand lightly before making her way towards Astra. Astra who looked very nervous.

"It's freakin' cold here and you all want to climb the mountain?"  
A smirk crosses his lips as he looks at Des. If his tone was not funny enough, the sight of him in his outfit was. With the most ridiculous fur hat he had ever seen in his life, was an equally ridiculous pair of mittens with two large jackets atop each other and winter overalls and none of them matched. He was surprised his friend could move, let alone walk in this deep snow.

"Are you sure I cannot change your mind about coming with us?" he asks simply because he wants to see the answering expression on Des' face.

He is not disappointed as Des' expression goes from disapproving to downright disgusted.

"No way man! It's one thing to die fighting but freezing to death ain't what I had in mind."

"I am so glad you are here, Des." If he could not have all his brothers together, he is glad to have Des to lighten his constant dark moods.

"Wish I could say the same at the moment. Not when I am starting to loose feeling in my feet," he says shifting from side to side. "At least you have Stella to snuggle up to at night. I'm all by my lonesome."

The statement takes him aback. "I, I do not go to bed with Stella," he says a little confused that his friend would think such a thing.

"You're kidding!" cries Des with his mouth open and his eyes wide.

He was certainly not an innocent nor was he naïve, but he had enough trouble looking at Stella and the marks he had left on her. Sometimes he was even worried about hurting her if he tried to hold her too tightly. Not to mention that he had absolutely no control over his powers when he was caught up in his nightmares. He could easily cut her in half and not even know it until it was too late. If that were to ever happen he is sure he would go mad from the guilt. It was already a battle not to go mad from just the thought.

"It is complicated," he finds himself saying again.

"Nothing complicated about it," says Des.

"Des, do you think I love Stella?" he asks. He realizes how stupid the question is but he knows that Des won't treat him like an idiot for asking.

"Of course you do, man and she loves you too," states Des as if it was a given.

"But I, I killed her."

"Hey," says Des as he smacks him on the back. "I don't think she'd be acting like she does around you if she wasn't over that."

He supposes that were true, but there were so many facets to their relationship. There were so many barriers. What they had could not clearly be defined. It was complicated.

"Too much thinking, Noct. Don't make me throw a snowball at you," warns Des.

"Are you sure you want to do that?" he asks cause throwing snowballs would take away some of this, this heaviness that he was beginning to feel again.

"If you don't stop over analyzing everything, like I know you do, you're going to lose out on what you want," Des says, ignoring his comment. "Stella may love you too but there's only so long a girl will wait before she lets someone else in. Someone who won't hesitate with the lovey stuff."

"Lovey stuff?" he asks with a raised eyebrow.

Which goes completely unnoticed by Des, who answers. "You know, 'I love ya babe.' 'Marry me.' That sort of thing."

"Stella knows of my affection for her."

"You can't even tell me you love her, which means you haven't told her either."

"There is no way that she could misinterpret my feelings."

"Doesn't matter. Every girl wants to hear those magic words. Stella ain't no different."

"Noctis," calls Tonitrus. "We are all ready to be on our way."

"I will be right there," he responds with a nod. He waits until Tonitrus is out of earshot before he responds. "Thank you, Des. You have given me a lot to think about."

"Less thinking, more doing, Noct," advises his friend with a wink. "Keep your earpiece in buddy. I'll be there if anything happens."

He knows he will be. "I will."

What happens after that could have very well been prevented but not entirely foreseen. It does not stop him from feeling like they should have just listened to him in the first place. Had it not been for their blatant determination to undermine his authority, the whole scenario would have not happened in the first place.

They had reached the lowest mountain peak without much incident. The air was even thinner up there than it had been where they were all staying. The twins were fine enough but for the ones that were not so used to exerting themselves, breathing had become a challenge. A debate had gotten started about how far he could teleport himself. He had always been something he had been curious about but something that he had never tested before. What had started out as merely observation had started out as a heated debate about whether such a gift had only been bestowed to him. He had not even had to say much for it to become so. Then it had all but been demanded of him to teach everyone how it was done.

It was not something that could be taught. It was more within the instinct of the person. It was simply something that you had rather than something that you could acquire. No amount of explaining that to them, Militis and Sol to be exact, would satisfy them. They asked that he demonstrate it by teleporting to the next highest peak. It had not been too far away but it was not wise to do such a thing. Yet, they had insisted.

So it had been then, when he had teleported to the spot they had designated when things went wrong.

"I knew it had been a bad idea," he hisses resentfully to himself as he thinks back on what had happened. He was currently in the process of taking off his clothes to soak in one of the natural hot springs that littered this part of the mountainside. Sore muscles protested as he finally manages to shrug his leather jacket off and dropped it over a large rock. There were no bruises just yet but he had no doubts that he would be covered in purple come morning. He hopes that with a soak in the hot springs, he can at least move when the sun came out again.

With the loud and boisterous debate going on, nobody was paying attention to Mira. Even the ever vigilant Vitrum had neglected to watch her as she had stumbled and in her panic had activated her rune. Her insignia flared bright purple and the resounding crackle of crystals had started a chain avalanche that had frozen everyone in place. Stella had been the first to react and tackled Mira so as to keep her from sliding further down the mountainside. Her rapier buried within the hard ice had leveled them both but there was not much else she could do when thousands of tons of snow came barreling down upon them.

He who had been watching this from up top did not even hesitate when he reacted.

"Des, avalanche!" he shouted.

He had teleported directly over Stella and Mira's dangling figures and shielded them just before the heavy snow could cover them. Even with the help of his powers he could feel the pressure of all that ice collide against his back and he had grit his teeth from crying out from the pain. He could hear Mira's screams and feel Stella as she curled into the protective barrier of his body while holding the frightened girl. He had not even realized that he had been closing his eyes until the snow had stopped and he had opened them to see if Stella and Mira were all right. His weapons had formed a protective layer around them, but they were straining under the massive weight.

"I'm so sorry!" cried Mira as tears began to fall. "Now we are stuck."

"We are not stuck. We are going to get out of this," said Stella as she looked up at him. There was no doubt in any of her features that he was going to get them out of there. Such confidence almost made him feel worthy.

"Shield both your eyes," he had told her gently and she had nodded and pulled Mira closer to herself.

He had stood over them and it had taken all his concentration to make his blades move. With the weight and the thickness of the ice, they had not moved easily. It had taken a lot more force than he was used to exerting but they had finally started to move in a circle around him and slowly, they had begun to dig them out. He extended so much of himself that he had ended up blowing a hole the size of a small crater before he could see the sky again. When he was confident that there would be no more snow to fall upon them, he grabbed hold of both Stella and Mira and had teleported the three of them to the surface.

He had learned later that it had been Sol and Procella who had been responsible for saving everyone else. Her rune had diverted most of the snow while his rune had melted any snow that had approached the rest of the group. The end result had looked like there had been a wall to protect them from the surrounding ice. Tonitrus had used his rune to virtually bull doze the rest of the ice away and Fulgur had carved it so that it would not fall any further. The rest had only had time to hide behind the others and they had seemed ashamed at that fact.

It had not been long before a screaming and worried Des had appeared overhead in a helicopter large enough to fit all of them. He could tell that his friend had only held his tongue from the curses that had threatened to spew out of his mouth for the sake of the ladies within the cabin. Des could only console himself with low grumblings that got lost with the sounds of the propellers overhead that made Noctis smile, despite everything. He had kept Stella close against him throughout the ride and contented himself with the fact that she could not sit close enough to him either.

Getting his shirt over his head was becoming more of a challenge as the joints within his shoulders strained against the movement. He had to grit his teeth before managing to pull his shirt off completely. The rest may have thought it was a failure on their part to react like the others had but it showed a lot that they were becoming more protective of each other. He was sure that a few months ago neither Sol nor Procella would have acted as they had today. They were learning to work as a team. They were not quite there yet, what with their constant bickering, but it looked like they were making progress.

It had taken a long time to reassure Mira that it had not been her fault that this had happened. The young girl had been inconsolable until he had smiled and told her that she had helped to strengthen all of their bonds and make them more of a family. He had finally managed to get a small smile out of her when Tonitrus had suggested that they all take advantage of the various hot springs to warm up again. His initial reaction had been trepidation at the thought that he might have to share with Procella but had been assured that there were more than enough to accommodate all them without having to disturb the other. That did not reassure him and after Stella's comment about Procella's interest in him, he had taken Tonitrus aside and asked to be placed in a hot spring that was difficult to reach.

The last he had seen Stella, she was trying to comfort both Astra and Mira with the ever stoic Procella standing by. He had wanted to make sure that she was indeed, all right but had hesitated from doing so when she was around the other women. She had only turned to give him another of those warm, bright smiles and told him not to worry about her through their connection. The sudden need he had, had to pull her into his arms had almost been too much. It had been the spreading stiffness in his back that had prevented him from doing so. He doubts he could put his arms around her without a measure of extreme discomfort now. He could not bring his arms together at this point.

There is a hesitant moment where he watches the steady steam rising out of the water as he figures out how he was going to get in without making a huge splash and further upsetting his back. He wonders if he can teleport inside but figures that might not be a good idea considering he's never tried getting inside water before. There is much gritting of his teeth as he manages to step down into the bubbling water and the heat of the water is almost unbearable at first. It reaches just below his chest and is thick and foggy so he cannot see the bottom. He grabs a handful of the surrounding ice and throws it onto his back and sighs.

As he waits for the water to do its work, he finds his mind wandering back to Stella and the conversations he has had concerning her.

_Did he love Stella?_

He was still not sure that the feelings he had for her would be considered love. Love seemed too simple a word to accurately summarize the extent of his feelings for her. It did nothing to describe the depth, measure and immensity of what she meant to him. Without her, he would be lost entirely to the darkness. Without her, he would lose a part of himself that made him whole. Without her, he felt as if his world would implode. Living without her was not an option now that he had to live at all. He could not live without her and he would die if it was with her. Yet, she was also a reminder of his failures. He had killed her. He had killed the one who had touched him like no other person would have the power to. It was that simple and it was that complex. The scars they both bore from the other was a testament to how much they had gone through with each other. Scars that mocked him and taunted him and accused him.

So intense are his thoughts, the startled gasp behind him takes him by surprise. He turns around to see the very subject of his musings staring at him wide eyed and worried. Worried?

Stella's hand has covered her mouth in shock and he begins to wonder if maybe he was bruising sooner than expected.

"You... your back," she says weakly.

He has a moment of clueless curiosity as he tries in vain to look at his own back. "Has the bruising already begun?" He thinks at least they were becoming yellow and would get darker by the morning but they should not look as traumatizing as all that now.

"Why did you not tell me about that?" she asks almost accusingly.

"I may have underestimated the weight of the snow..."

"That is not what I am talking about," she says interrupting him. She begins taking her shirt off to join him in the water and he finds himself turning around quickly so give her some privacy. He pays for the quick movement with a throbbing of his back and he bites his lip from crying out loud.

As much as he would love to look upon her now, he cannot bring himself to just yet. Some scars have not healed afterall. Yes, he had desires, but he cannot act upon them. It was not as if he could act upon his them right now anyway. He could barely move his arms and the pain in his back was close to agonizing. The water did not even seem to helping with that.

"I… cannot move my arms so well," he confesses as he keeps his back to her. He can feel her getting into the water with him and he hears the soft gasp as she realizes just how hot the water is.

The soft brush of her fingers on his back causes him to hiss. Hiss not from the pain but of the unexpectedness of the movement.

"Why did you never tell me about this?" she asks reproachfully. Her fingers move along his back and he remembers then to what she was referring.

"It is not important," he says. It was not important in the least.

"It was what almost killed you," she says as she touches it again.

The bullet that had pierced his back from Aenigma's gun had left its own mark upon his flesh. Of what he had been able to see of it, it looked almost like it had shattered under the skin. Causing it to look somewhat alarming. Not that he had paid much mind to it. He could not see it all the time and it was easy to forget it was there. It had never been something he had thought to mention to her because it simply had not mattered to him.

"But it matters to me," she responds to his thoughts.

He turns his head to look at her but he does not turn around just yet. There is a pained looked on her face and there are tears forming in her eyes and it makes him want to reassure her.

"Then kiss it," he says and the smirk he gives is more of a smile than a smirk.

She does not smile back but she continues to stare at it reproachfully. But it is not a moment later before he feels her soft lips press against his scar. He does not understand why, but it does help him feel better. It makes him wonder if she feels better after he kisses hers.

"Is this how you feel?" she asks and her voice almost sounds far away.

"What do you mean?" he asks.

"How you feel whenever you see mine?" she explains as her hand goes to her the scar on her chest.

"Why would you be feeling anything close to that?" he asks in puzzlement. "You were not responsible for that."

"It does not matter," she says with a shake of her head. "I feel it too. We have been connected. We have been severed and we have been betrayed. But we have been renewed and even though our scars have not fully healed yet, they will heal. So what pain you feel is the same as mine." A few tears escape her eyes and he turns to face her fully.

He tries to raise his arms to brush her tears away but the pain that shoots through him prevents the movement and he ends up making a strangled noise instead. She sees his struggle and rushes to press herself against him. Her arms go around his waist and her ear lies against the beating of his heart. He curses to himself that he cannot return her embrace and there is nothing else but to bury his face in her hair and revel at the feel of her against him.

"How is it that you can feel such pain for me?" he asks in wonderment.

"Because I love you," she says looking up into his face. "And I am sorry."

"For what?" and he cannot understand why she would ever need to ask for his forgiveness.

"For not completely understanding how you must feel," she says and her hands reach to her scar again. "I was insensitive."

He shakes his head. "It is my burden to bear."

"No, it is not just yours. It is ours now."

Red eyes look at her cautiously.

Blue eyes are resolute as they stare back at his.

"We have been renewed?" he asks finally and he sounds hopeful.

It causes her eyes to glow and she releases a soft, joyous cry before she nods her head in agreement.

No, love was too simple a word to describe the feelings that were flowing through his body at this moment. Love was just not strong enough of a word at all.

* * *

End Note: I think I am slowing down now. I don't have very many ideas left to keep going. I do not mean to write these so long but they just come out that way. The last part was somewhat tricky for me. Why were neither of them really freaking out about being naked together? Well, if you've ever been to an Asian spa, you wouldn't wonder is all I can say. If you guys have any requests or questions, I am open to them.


	7. Lacero

A/N: I think everyone is going to ask the same question after reading this.

Lacero is latin for "to tear to pieces".

Lacero

"Are you all right?" he asks as he pushes her down by her shoulders to sit down on one of the many rocks along the ground. They had finally found a cave to shield them from the pelting rain. It was cold. It was dark. It was everything that she was feeling inside.

"Stella," he says with a gentle shake of her shoulders. "Stella, I need you to tell me that you are all right."

The desperation and worry in his voice pulls at her heart strings and her immediate impulse is to comfort him so he does not worry for her. That impulse is squelched quickly, before she can follow through. Right now she feels too much. It hurts to look at him. It hurts too much to look at him. No, she was definitely not all right. She was not all right at all and she was currently stuck in a cave with him with a fierce lightning storm outside. Stuck with him when all she wanted to do was run. To run as far away from him as she could.

As she burrows deeper into Noctis' leather jacket to keep warm, she thinks that this was definitely not the way she had envisioned this week. This has been the most emotional, depressing week of her life and it was ending this way. How fitting.

It had been the night before their trip to Ventosus, the hometown of Fulgur. They had already planned for her to visit him in Nihilsomno so that they could travel together early the next day. He had sent a special airship to pick her up from Tenebrae and it was just after dark when she reached the new castle grounds. They had both grinned at each other before she flew into his arms and he swung her around before pulling her more closely into himself. Then, once they had made sure that her bags would be delivered safely to her room, he took her hand and they went for a walk all around the city.

The city had changed so much since he had taken power and you could see how much the tension had lessened for the people. Everyone had all bowed meekly to their king as he walked alongside her. A few took pictures of them as they roamed about the streets hand in hand. He showed her the new building projects he was putting into effect. He showed her the places that he and the guys had hung out when they were growing up. He showed her all the little fun places that one would only know about if one were a native. It had almost been like a real date and it made her realize that they had never actually been on one before. The smile that graced her lips had made Noctis smile back at her with such tenderness, with such affection that she felt she could never doubt his feelings for her.

They had ended the night on top of the highest high rise within the city. It had been cold and Noctis had opened up his leather jacket and had her sit between his legs to wrap her within his warmth. Both his arms had kept her in place as they both looked up towards the sky to stare at the moonlit sky. She had felt his nose bury itself within her hair and his sighs made her neck tickle.

Noctis was not someone who fidgeted or moved too much. He was a brooder who spent far too much time sitting quietly and enduring. He endured so much within himself. He was always deep thoughts and intense emotions. He was very quick witted, to the point and honest. He was passionate but, not in the sense of emotional outbursts and melodrama. He was controlled, silent and fierce. The self restraint and self suppressed control could tell her of how deeply passionate a person he was. She could always see it in his eyes. Eyes that had once turned from blue to red at any given moment, had remained red in the aftermath of his meeting with Etro.

Stella was not entirely like that. She could brood in her own right but she had often found that she had too much of a cheery disposition to brood too long. She also fidgeted. So it was not long before both her legs were draped over one of his legs and she was half turned in his direction and her head was resting on his left shoulder. One of her arms had wrapped around his waist and she contented herself with listening to his heartbeat as she absently traced patterns on his chest. She could feel his uncovered hand absently run through her hair as they both looked off in different direction.

It had not mattered that they had not really said anything. For words really had no significance in the closeness that they shared. They did not even have to open their mouths to tell the other whatever it was that they had needed to say. They just had not had anything to say. It had been silent and it had been perfect and it had been like heaven. Their little piece of heaven in their still darkened world. Just him and just her and that was enough for the both of them.

The next morning, she had been waiting in the very same courtyard as the night before and was both pleased and disappointed that it was not Des that would be accompanying Noctis on this trip.

"Good morning, Vires," she had said cheerfully.

Vires who had not had an entirely friendly look on his face, but whose features softened at her greeting. "Good morning, Stella," had been the reply. "Noct is running a little late this morning."

They both knew what that meant and she found herself becoming worried and anxious to see him again. She tried to feel anything coming from him, but there was only the lulling silence in response.

"Is he all right?" she had asked.

"He's Noct," was the reply and they both grinned at that.

"Changing nannies this time?" she asked cheekily.

He grinned down at her. "After the snow from the last trip, Des has not been too keen on the next destination."

"The rainy season," she said with a nod. Ventosus was known for its flash floods and lightning storms. She was not particularly looking forward to it herself, but she was trying to keep a positive outlook on things.

"Des is scared of lightning," came the reply and had her giggling behind her hand.

"Heya Stell!" cried an energetic voice, as Des himself approached the two of them. "Are you gonna miss me?"

"Of course! Who else am I going to tease Noctis with?" they both shared a smirk before Des looked up at Vires.

"Stay dry man."

"I am not made out of sugar," Vires answered.

"More like salt," replied Des with a grin and an elbow bump at Stella, which caused her to giggle again. "Don't worry. Mr. Morning Sunshine will be good company too."

"Can't all be so energetic in the mornings," grumbled Vires as he crossed his arms and raised his chin at Des.

"Morning Stella," came the third voice and the one person she did not get to see often enough.

"Good morning, Sapien," she said with a smile. "You are such a stranger."

He pushed his frames closer to his face and gave her a sheepish grin. "Someone has to stay behind and make sure Noct has a kingdom to come home to."

"You do a great job and I know how much he appreciates it."

"I think we'll all be glad once these trips are finished. He's been getting more and more antsy the longer he goes away."

"Me too," she confessed. She had noticed the changes in Noctis when he was here than when he was abroad. He wanted to be back home and reestablishing his kingdom, not visiting the other countries. If he had not been who he was, he would not have agreed to these trips, no matter how much it would improve relationship between the other Crystal Bearers.

The sound of footsteps makes the four of them turn their heads to see Noctis making his way towards them.

Stella could not help the smile that always spread across her face whenever she caught sight of him. His presence had such an effect on her, all the time. Even when he was not actually there. As he made his way towards them she made as if to approach him and that is when she noticed that there was something strange about the look in his eyes.

"Good Morning, Stella," he had said, but there was something very confusing about the tone of his voice. His red eyes turned to his friends and he greeted them equally. That strange tone had still lingered. His lips were in a shape that would have been a smirk had it not been for the death that seemed to be reflected in his eyes.

"Noct, are you...?" Sapien had started to ask.

"I am fine," he said a little too tensely and it looked like he was about to snap. His eyes reach hers and those eyes, those once intense, passionate eyes looked muted. "Shall we be on our way?"

"Yes, yes of course," she answered as she tried to smile at his friends again, but the entire space around them seemed devoid of any of the jovial feelings that had been there before Noctis' presence. She sees the concerned look on Sapien's face but she forces a smile to her lips. "Take care of yourself, Sapien."

"You too, Stella," he had said but they were both looking at Noctis.

"Don't worry about the kingdom, Noct!" exclaimed Des with a rather awkward looking grin. "We got you covered."

"I know," was the answer and though it had not sounded unkind, it still sounded flat. "Keep me posted."

"We will," replied Sapien still looking at him with questioning eyes.

"Take care, Des," she added and he had no qualms about claiming a happy bear hug from her as a parting. She laughed, despite herself as she hugged him back and ruffled his already ruffled hair when she withdrew. She merely nodded to Sapien with a smile, which he had returned.

"We are off now," said Noctis with that same bland tone that sounded so foreign in his voice. "Shall we?" he had asked as he offered his arm to her.

She took it but exchanged another worried glance with Sapien before she let him lead her towards the airship. Unlike the times before when he had helped her, he kept his hand firmly on her elbow as he helped her into the cockpit instead of putting his hands on her waist. Even his touch seemed cold and distant and she did not like it at all.

"Noctis?" she had asked looking at him again.

"I am fine, Stella," he had answered a little too quickly before he let go of her to sit on the other side with Vires.

She and Vires looked at each other as if they both did not recognize the person that was with them.

The rest of the trip was spent in silence. Silence that had been as deafening as the sounds of the engines. A silence that was not soothing and was not comforting as it had been the night before.

At first she had thought that it had been the prospect of the trip that had gotten him into such a mood, but the trip over had just been the beginnings of his bizarre behavior. While he had not been unkind nor rude, even to Militis or Sol, there was a significant difference. The tension that had been a part of his character seemed to triple. He looked as if he were strung too tightly and would snap and everyone gave him a wide berth. He looked dangerous in an unstable way. Mira, the one who noticed such things, clung to him. Though she had known that Noctis would never hurt her, it still worried her when the young girl kept vigilant by his side. She would not leave him until he had placed a gentle pat on the top of her head and given her the warmest smile she had seen from him the whole day.

The next morning, she had been sitting at her vanity making sure her hair was securely tied for the activities that had been planned. She had just placed a comb in a well planned spot to keep her hair back when she saw his reflection within the mirror, staring at her.

"Oh! Good morning!" she had said cheerfully as she turned around to face him, but her smile froze as she looked at the expression on his face.

"I will not do this any longer," he had said and his eyes had the coldest look within them. She had never seen his eyes look upon her like that.

"Do what?" she had asked as she stood up to walk towards him.

He shook his head and she stopped herself from reaching out to him.

"I do not want to be friends," he had said.

It was such an abrupt and pointed statement that it had taken a long time for her to realize what he was saying. It cut her, deeply because it meant so many things. They were not exactly friends, but lovers had to turn into friends if they were to grow. It felt like a twofold rejection.

"You do not want to be friends," she had reiterated, just to be clear.

He shook his head.

"Then what do you want to be?" she asked it, but she had already known that she would not like what his response was going to be.

"We are what we are," he answered vaguely and she did not like that he was talking in riddles. Noctis was nothing if not clear and to the point, even if he was a tad bit too blunt sometimes.

"I, I do not understand what you are saying," she had said because she could feel that this was something else. This was just the surface. There was something deeper. He was telling her what they had could no more be. He was telling her that he did not want to... and that did not make sense at all. She had tried to reach out to him through their connection and was abruptly pushed back. It felt as powerful as any physical blow. "Noctis?" she asked and there were tears in her eyes.

"Not meant to be yet meant to fulfill our destiny," he replied and it had stung. It had stung so badly that she felt like her legs would no longer support her. But she had still been resolute. She had still been determined.

"It is what it was meant to be," she replied with that same determination that she always showed when faced with opposition. "Because you crave my light as I crave your dark. Because it is not just my path nor just your path but our path. We cannot escape it and we cannot fight it."

She saw something spark in his eyes. He remembered those words as she did. Then his eyes lost all feeling within them and what was left was hard rubies that did not break and did not soften.

"I shall fight it," he vowed to her as he turns around to leave her rooms.

A sound of desperation had left her throat without any thought and it had given him pause. Then had she felt it. Felt it like she had felt his sword stab through her that night. It cut her in half. Their connection, their link was severed. There was no link. There was nothing. Nothing but the absence in the void that he had once filled within her. She felt him ripped from her. Ripped from her very existence, her very essence. She had staggered back and fallen onto her vanity as her hands clutched at the scar between her breasts. Then he was gone. Gone in every way possible.

_Severed. Ripped. Torn. Do not..._

The whispers. The voices that had been the one constant in her life were then gone too. They were gone as if they never been there. There was only silence now, not even the static of where they had been in her mind. Absolute silence and she had never felt more alone in her life. They were gone. They were all gone.

When Astra had come to walk with her to breakfast that morning, it was to see her in hysteria, crumpled on her floor. Breathes that did not seem to be enough and came too quickly. A chest that wanted to crumble under the pressure. A heart that cried out in agony with silent screams that he could no longer hear.

She did not know how she made it to breakfast that morning but she had been there. There was no way that she could have missed it. It would have been rude. She had not known how she was able to sit there and know that he was across the table. She did not even know how she was going to make it through the day with this feeling of, this hollowness in her soul. It had almost been a relief when she found out that Fulgur had planned a series of scavenger hunts to be done in pairs as a test their team work. They were to each have a different partner for the next five days. She had been paired with Procella and did not really remember much else.

"Stella, where is your head?" cried Procella, as she had saved her from getting her head ripped off from a hungry monster.

Where the rest of me is... gone, but it woke her from her daze and the determination had edged back into her eyes. This was not the time to die. She had not let her guard down again.

There was no way to understand what had started this change within him. He was still courteous and polite to everyone, even to her but he did not smile. When he looked at her the look that she had loved to see within his face was gone. Mira seemed to be the only one that could get a real smile out of him. Vires, who had stayed vigilant by his side, but could offer no explanations to her about why Noctis had decided to extract her out of his life. He had seemed just as clueless as she was and she had seen the underlying anger and disappointment at his friend. All he could do was to pat her awkwardly on the arm and smile reassuringly. He had even apologized for not being as cheerful a companion as Des was. It had warmed her that she had found a small place within Noctis' inner circle but it hurt all the more now that he was not in it with her.

Whenever she had tried to catch him alone, he would be gone. He would virtually vanish before she could do so. It was cowardly of him and it made her angry. Noctis, her Noctis, was never cowardly and he did not shy away from confrontation. He never looked for it but when it came, he met it head on. Yet he was doing that now.

She did not remember many details from the days after. There is the sting when he is paired with Procella and sees how well they had begun to get along. She did not understand that and the idea seemed so ludicrous. That Noctis would have an interest in the other woman was so ridiculous, even in her wretched state, that she cannot even summon any jealousy towards the sight of them together. The day she is paired with Sol however, she had seen how he had glared at the golden man beside her. Sol who had tried his hardest and was his most charming to try and lift her spirits. She had found herself smiling at him in gratitude. It was not until Sol demanded an explanation for the sabotage of their scavenger hunt that it really struck her that anything had been wrong in the first place. When she thinks back on it, it had been sabotage. They had gotten their clues right and yet there had not been any prize when they had approached. Sol had immediately blamed Noctis. An accusation that had quickly escalated to threats.

Unlike previous times, when Noctis would merely shrug or roll his eye at any challenge from Sol, he had been all to eager to fight against Sol then. A sense of foreboding had cut through her as she had seen Noctis' red eye flair brightly. It had been a warning that should have alerted Sol, but it was too late. What followed was the most brutal, severe, thorough beating she had ever witnessed. She had not ever thought to witness Noctis act so savagely. There had been no restraint. There had been no self control. There had only been anger. There had only been hate and it had left Sol bloodied and bruised almost beyond recognition.

Nobody approached Noctis after that. Nobody really said anything at all. They had all been afraid to. Even Militis had chosen to remain silent. Mira, who Stella had, had to shield for most of the fight was in denial. The younger girl could not believe Noctis could have done such a thing. Even Procella had seemed to pale, with her palest of skin, at how severely Noctis had beaten Sol. It seemed, only Stella had found her voice.

"That was completely uncalled for," she had all but shouted at him as she had bent down to look at the extent of Sol's wounds. Sol had been conscious but it was most likely that he would have a scar on his forehead. She could not say that the rest of him had faired better. "What are you doing?"

He had not answered her, just had he had not answered her in everything else. His eyes took on that hardened look as he looked at the sorry state that Sol was in before turning around and walking away. The rest of them had parted to make room for him and he was gone in a flash of crystals.

When he was gone, everyone had looked at her for an explanation and she could not answer them. She did not even try. Sol needed their attention and that was all they needed to worry about.

Noctis was at dinner but nobody had approached him. Vires sat uncomfortably at his side. In the men she had noticed a simmering tension and fear. In the women she had noticed nervousness and fright. In her she felt, she was not even sure what she felt. This was not her Noctis. She was not sure who it was that was inside that body that looked like her Noctis. Something was terribly wrong with him. Yet, she was more than angry. Her Noctis or not, this behavior was unacceptable.

This morning had been more than a little tense. Noctis had suggested that perhaps it would be best if everyone rested and tried to cancel the scavenger hunt. She might have agreed if not for the fact that it was her turn to be paired with him and she was not going to let him escape her this time. The rest, sensing that maybe it was for the best that she be the one to bring him out of his dark mood had reluctantly agreed. Mira had given her hopeful eyes as they had been given their assignments. She had responded with the warmest, reassuring smile that she could muster.

He had merely handed her the sheet with their instructions and had proceeded to let her lead the way as their hunt began. When she had opened her mouth to say something, he had shaken his head and given her a look that gave her pause. It was a look of warning and she did not like that one bit. So she had turned around and marched through the endless rocky terrain with short trees and did not look back again. Of course they had been given the trickiest hunt. Because it was Noctis that she was paired with and he had wasted no time in teleporting to the given spot and claiming the next clue before she had a chance to try and reach it herself.

"Stop that," she had snapped when he had done it again. "There are two of us in this situation."

"This is faster," he had claimed.

"Faster does not necessarily mean better," she had retorted as she looked down at the next clues. She had been reading where they needed to go next when she noticed he was staring at her. Staring at her as if she had hurt him and not he that had been hurting her these last few days. "Why are you looking at me like that?" she asked and it sounded both curious and annoyed.

Red eyes do not even move as silence only greeted her.

"Who are you?" she had asked as she moved to get closer to him.

Only to have him step away from her. It hurt, oh how it had hurt to see him step away from her like that, but she focused on being angry. Angry was so much better than hurt.

"One who was not meant for the light."

It was then that another flash flood arrived in a sheet of cold water that had poured over their heads. She who always preferred to wear cotton had instantly drenched under the assault, while Noctis' constant leather had faired a little better. At least she could not see through it. But she does not let the wetness distract her as she continues to glare at him. His words could not have been said to make her feel anything less than devastated.

The lightning flashes around them, as if on cue, as they stare at each other. She can feel the sting and tingle of the bolts as they seemed to crash all around her.

What happened next, happened very quickly. Too quickly that she had not even had time to cry out in surprise. One of lightning bolts had struck the rock she had been standing on and she felt weightless for a moment before she began to fall. They had been standing higher on top of the mountainside and the fall was long. She had scrapped her back when she had lost her footing and the sting of it had caused her to cry out. Her eyes had closed as she waited for the inevitable impact with the sharp stones when she felt his arms snatch her from the air. She was on her feet again in a flash with arms that still felt like home.

There was a brief moment where he had surveyed their surroundings in search of shelter before he pulled her by her arm to follow along beside him. As they had walked, he had thrown his black jacket over her wounded back, leaving him with only his white shirt. She had said nothing the entire way and let him lead her to the cave they were currently in together.

Two hands grasp the sides of her face to pull her to concerned red eyes. Red eyes that almost looked like the ones that she loved so much.

"Stella, I need you to tell me that you are all right."

Blue eyes blink slowly as the chill makes her feel numb. Numbness was a welcome reprieve the to hurt, anger and devastation she had been feeling all week. White hands brush his hands away as she turns her face from his and then she twists her body to face in the other direction.

"Let me at least look at your back," he offers and there is that genuine concern in his tone again, but she ignores it. She goes so far as to zip his leather jacket up around her to prevent him from taking it off himself.

He kneels there, beside her a moment as the silence stretches on. She feels the stinging in her eyes to match the stinging in her back, but there are no tears as she revels in her numbness. She does not want him so close to her. She wants to be away, far away from him.

"Did you mean what you said?" she asks as she still refuses to look at him. "That you do not want to be friends."

It takes him longer to answer this time. "Yes."

She does look at him then. "Then there is nothing that you need me to say."

As quickly as it had appeared, the clouds had dissipated and a weak sun had taken its place. It's the light that creeps its way into the cave that makes her rise to her feet and walk towards the opening. She does not wait for him to follow her and closes her eyes against the warmth of the sun. She does not speak again as they make their way back to the others.

She cannot explain why. It is just something that seizes her and its irrational and its outrageous and it is also a little rude. Maybe it is because it is rude, that she actually does it.

When they reach Ventosus and another dry and definitely warmer jacket is given her, she does not give his leather jacket back. She does not even give it back the next day when they leave Fulgur's homeland. She takes his jacket with her.

* * *

End Notes: To _**Iris**_, I know that this is not how you envisioned your prompt would look like, but I promise that I will make it up to you. The next one is from Noctis' POV.


	8. Frustra esse

A/N: I know that a lot of you were thinking, "What the...?" considering the one shot before had ended on such a positive note. I am very interested in hearing everyone's theories, comments, suggestions and rants after reading this one.

Frustra esse is latin for 'to be mistaken'.

Frustra esse

"What the frak is wrong with you?!"

So there would not be a moment's peace before he was to face everyone else. He is thankful that he had the foresight to at least lock the door before he had entered.

"Noct! I know you're in there!" shouted Sapien through the thick door. "What happened with Stella? What the frak happened with Sol? The council from Solis are demanding an explanation! Noct!"

On any other day, he would not have even locked the door and if he had, he would have opened it as soon as he had heard his friend's voice. Not today. Definitely not today. Not when he had just gotten back from Ventosus on what had been the worst week of his life. Not when he felt like he was shattering inside. Not when the last vision he had seen of Stella had been her back, since she had refused to look at him as she boarded her airship and left. Not when he had been directly responsible for mindlessly beating a fellow Crystal Bearer. Just, not today!

_Stella..._

To think that she would never hear his cries of agony. That she would never see just how much cutting her off had felt like he had cut his own heart out. That she would never feel just how much he loved her. That she could never know...

Black gloved hands closed into tight fists and shattered the large floor to ceiling mirror in his room. Glass covers the entire floor of his bedroom and he does not care. He does not care that the shards of glass start hovering all around him as his telekinesis pulses out of control. He does not care when the sharp pieces begin to shred the sheets of his bed, the curtains over his windows, the cushions of his couch and the pieces of art on this walls. He just does not care.

The sudden sound of something foreign within his rooms startles him and the floating shards fly in all directions. They pierce everything him, even the other figure in the room. There is a moment where he feels some satisfaction as he sees one of the larger pieces has become embedded in her chest.

"Still so melodramatic," she says with a roll of her eyes before the glass disappears and her wound closes up easily. "This is not seemly."

"How could you ever be a judge on what was seemly?" he asks hatefully as he stands with his hands on his dresser and his back to her.

"Mean too," she states with a giggle and he wishes, he wishes he could kill her. "Now, now dear one. None of that tonight."

"Do not call me that," he hisses as his fists close against the raw hate running through his veins.

"Oh, you know you love it," she answers and he can just picture her waving her hand to dismiss his refusal.

"Might I ask, why are you here?" he asks and he tries to put as much disdain in his voice as he can.

"To see you of course," she says as she sits down on his bed as if she were a welcomed visitor within his bedroom. "To make sure that you are all right."

He whirls around at that. "To make sure that I am all right? You think there is anyway that I could possibly be all right?"

"Oh please, you are such a drama queen!" she cries as she rolls her eyes. "I do not think my conditions were so unbearable."

"Not unbearable? You think that these conditions could ever be bearable to me? You, you really are unbelievable."

"I am a goddess, Dear One. I do not have to explain myself."

"You do not try to anyway."

She smiles and her face looks positively evil. For that was what she was, pure evil.

"That little wretch took your jacket," she frowns to express her disapproval. "Why did you do nothing to get it back?"

He is very, very careful to keep his mind blank in response to that. It takes all his will not to make a response, even in his mind, at her question. He thinks about something, anything else instead.

Etro tilts her head as she tries to read him. "You are getting better at blocking me," she says finally and he just barely stops himself from sighing in relief. She does not look impressed, but annoyed and he rejoices in that.

"So you are here because I did not get my jacket back?" he asks tilting his head at her too. His words and tone clearly expressing how idiotic that is.

"I want to know why you made no effort to get it back," she answers with slanted, suspicious eyes.

"I can always get another," he shrugs.

"You want her to have something of yours so she does not forget you, don't you?" she hisses as her eyes narrow further.

Again, he thinks about everything and anything besides what she wants him to think about.

"Stop that!" she hisses again. "I am getting a headache."

"Gods can get headaches too?" he asks. His tone is innocent but they both know that he is mocking her.

She glares at him again and he gives her his most infuriating of smirks.

"You test me, Noctis," she says disapprovingly.

"As you test me," he answers.

"I am only saving you," she tries to explain, but there is nothing she could ever say that would make him understand. "I have your best intentions at heart."

"No, you have your best intentions at heart. You could care less about mine."

"Harsh," she says with a feigned wince. "I really do not understand why I put up with you."

"I never asked you to," he states and it sounds more like, "I never wanted you to."

"Well I cannot stay long," she says dismissively, as if there was not a trace of resentment from him. "A goddess has many things that she needs to see to."

"Like ruining the lives of we mortals?" he retorts.

She stops to tilt her head at him again. "One day, you are going to thank me for this."

"That day, is not today," he answers. _That day will never come, _he thinks and that, he does not care if she can hear or not.

She looks like she does because her eyes darken at him.

He glares back at her, because he does not care that he has angered her.

Then she smirks at him and it does not look good on her face. "You are still so young. You have so much to learn," she says. She blows him a kiss and disappears before him.

He waits until he can no longer feel her presence before he shudders in disgust and the emotional exhaustion kicks in. He drops into a chair and does not even seem to notice that most of its cushioning flies all around him at his sudden weight.

His jacket. Something so simple as a jacket was why Etro was so concerned. That he had not made an effort to take it back. His head falls back and he groans. It was not as if he had not wanted to. It would not have been very hard. It was just as simple as waiting for Stella to fall asleep, which would not have taken very long considering the strain she had been in. Then he could have easily teleported within her quarters and taken it. Etro had, had reason to be suspicious. For it had been intentional on his part, to let Stella keep it. Keep it because he was selfish enough to want her to have something of his that would make her remember him. Remember him as he would always remember her. Always remember that he would always love her more than anyone could ever possibly love her. He absolutely adored her for being stubborn enough to keep it on her own.

"_You realize this is our first date," _said Stella as they both sat upon that highrise not far from his castle here in Nihilsomno.

Contentment was something that he was beginning to get used to. Something that he was learning to accept without hesitation. Stella, here in his arms and he in hers. Her head against his chest and his nose filled with her scent. There could never have been a more perfect moment for him. He had wished that the night would not have ended. But it had to, as everything had to. Not much longer saw them walking hand in hand, back to the castle. They had kissed and he had pulled her as close to him as he could. He could not get her close enough and he could not get enough of her taste. It had been she who had pulled away later and after a quick peck on the lips, had jumped away from his arms and danced away from his reach.

"Good night, good night dark King," she had said as she rushed up the stairs to her rooms.

"Good night, Bright Star," he has responded as they smiled again, before she disappeared down the hall and he was left alone in the dark corridor.

He had waited until he could sense that she had made it safely to her door and was in her rooms before he made his way to his own rooms. His rooms that had finally been completed and this time, they looked like he had always wanted them to look. Black leather covered everything except the black satin of his bed sheets. There were no portraits of any gods within his rooms. The lights were warm, not bright, like candles that hung overhead in small crystal chandeliers. A fireplace that was always lit, gave him the warmth that he had gone without all those long younger years of his life.

He had been more than content. He had felt complete and hopeful. He had actually looked forward to the sleep that he knew he had to have. It had been a good night and he had hoped that his dreams would be equally as good. He should have known better.

He had not even made it fully into his rooms when he felt it. Felt the cold dread of something evil within his rooms. He felt the air turn cold and hollow. He felt the tingling sensation in the back of his neck as the small hairs there had started to stand up.

It was the sound of the cawing crow that made him stiffen his back and a determined expression fell into place on his features. For there was only one being that would cause such a reaction from him.

Etro.

"Have you missed me, Dear One?" she had asked with a satisfied air about her.

"I knew you would come one day," he answered.

"It warms me that you were looking forward to seeing me," she smiled.

"I did not say I was." he retorted. "I just stated that I knew you would."

"You do know how to sore a person's mood," she said with a pout.

"What brings you here?" he asked as he stood ready.

"I have come because something of a most alarming nature has reached me."

"That would be?"

"You."

"Me," he had said and it sounded like a question and a statement.

"You and Stella specifically."

"What about Stella and myself is so alarming?"

"I said that you and Stella had been chosen to lead. I did not say that you would be doing it as lovers... as..," she looks almost disgusted as she tries to think of an appropriate word. "Soulmates." The distaste is evident in her tone and in her face.

He frowned at her because he did not like where this is going. "What are you talking about?"

"I do not like the future I am foreseeing," she said, clutching her forehead in a dramatic fashion. "I did not bring Stella back for you to enjoy her."

Red eyes deepen to almost the color of blood as he glares at her. "What?" he hissed. There is a soft crackle of crystal and a blinking of the lights as his anger begins to grow.

"I brought back Stella so that you would not feel so guilty. I did not bring her back so you and her could have some sort of fanciful happy ending," she sniffed.

"You are telling me that I am forbidden to love Stella?"

"You only think you love Stella, because you are so young. But you will learn in time that she is not for you. She has already been chosen for another."

"Another?" and a few light bulbs explode above them.

"You and Stella are not to be," she had stated with a tone that implied the subject was over.

"Why not?" It was becoming very difficult to keep his voice steady.

She gives him a secret smile that makes the blood drain from his face.

"I do not like to share," she had said simply with a grin.

There is a moment where he does not even think there are words to express his feelings. To express the complete exasperation at her ridiculous words.

"Do you like the ring I gave you, Dear One? I made it especially to your tastes."

"You... you are mad," he could finally say through the disbelief.

_Noctis, do not let..._

The voices had been cut from him then. Cut off in mid sentence with a wave of Etro's hand.

"There now. None of that nonsense to give you any ideas," she said with a nod.

"This is not the decision of the gods, those superiors that you have claimed to have. You are doing this out of your own spite," he shouted at her. The absence of those whispers left him in a way that made him feel completely alone. Alone with this evil that had become obsessed with him.

"You must comply in this Noctis," she answered sweetly. "I have given you a choice."

"You call that a choice?" he growled at her.

"Let me show you something," she said as she snapped her fingers and he felt the familiar sensations of teleportation.

They are in Stella's rooms. It was dark in there, with only the glow of the fireplace. The soft glow of the flames reached the foot of her bed, where she is already fast asleep. There's a contented smile upon her angelic features and despite it all he finds the tension in him lessening at the sight of her. He had given her a room that would match her tastes. A mix of white and black with hints of silver and ivory. The soft curtains around the canopy of her bed were half closed as she continues her nightly slumber. He wanted to be there, in the bed, beside her. He wanted to lie in the warmth of sheets with her wrapped within his warms.

"I will take her back Noctis," warned Etro as she sneered at the look on his face. The sound is muted and he knows that whatever they say will not wake Stella. "You comply or I take her back to where she belongs."

His face snapped to hers. "You would do that? You would be that selfish?"

"I am death. I am selfish."

"Then take me," he said. "You want me. Take me."

"Oh but I cannot, Dear One," she had lamented. "You were the last user of the Crystal and the winner of the prize. You cannot be taken until you have fulfilled the peace."

"This is not right," he said. "You cannot possibly think that you can..."

"Oh but I can," she answered. "I can take her at any time of my choosing. She was not the winner of the prize. She was dead. She was already mine. I do not give up what is mine."

So this was the price. This had been the price all along for having her again.

"You will be mine too, Noctis. Not yet, but you will be."

"There is no way... there is no possible way I could separate myself from Stella," he said because it would be impossible. They were connected. She would hear him.

"Then you will have to do your best to try and convince her," Etro replied. "She will believe you. You never even told her that you loved her afterall. It will be easy to prey upon her insecurities."

"The whispers, they would tell her that I was lying."

"I will take care that they do not tell her," she said with ease.

"You will not get away with this," he tried to warn.

"Who is going to fight against me?" she asked. "I am a goddess."

"You have those that are higher than you."

"This is between you and me, Dear One," she answered. "Do this Noctis or I will take Stella away from you so completely that you will not even get to die to see her again." She disappears in a dark cloud and he is left alone with Stella's sleeping form.

He does not move to be closer to her. He does not move at all as he watches as she sleeps peacefully before him. She sleeps with no concerns and no worries and that gives him a sense of comfort. That was what he had wanted for her. No more nightmares. He would take them for her. He would take her nightmares into himself and have enough for the both of them. If only to spare her the living one that he would have to live without her.

"I love you, Stella," he whispered to her sleeping form. "You will always be the bright star of my life."

He disappeared in a flash of crystals before he could do anything else. He did not return to his rooms.

He did not sleep at all that night.

Agony. It had been pure agony to see her the next morning. To see how well she got along with his brothers. To see how easily she could joke and banter with them. To see how they liked her and accepted her. Not just for his sake, but because they genuinely liked her. To see how she had won them over. She had won them all over just by being herself.

He had known, that any attempts to quickly ignore her and give her a cold shoulder would have only fueled her stubbornness. It would have made her want to call him out on his behavior. That was just her. So he had done something that had been harder. He had been polite. Polite and separate. He did not ignore her and he was not mean to her. He was polite and he knew, he knew that would hurt her more.

When they had arrived in Ventosus, he knew that everyone else could sense the change in him. That there was something wrong, but they could not and did not ask him what it was. Only Mira, cute adorable little Mira had, had the nerve to stick to his side until he could do nothing else but smile down at her and give her a pat on the top of her head. Then she too had left him alone. He pretended to ignore the worried glances from Stella but he was fully aware of each time she had turned her head to look at him. He did not sleep very well that night.

The next morning, he could not wait for her to come and confront him. He had to do it before he lost his nerve. So he had teleported into her rooms without permission and caught her unawares. She had been sitting at her vanity table, fixing her hair. She had taken his breathe away, like she always did. There was a worried look in her eyes and it stabbed at him to think of what he was going to do. Her face as she had noticed him standing behind her had cut him.

"_I do not want to be friends."_

It had not exactly been a lie. He would never have been able to say it with such conviction if it had been a lie. Friends was just not what he had wanted. They were not friends. They were so much more. Friends would never have been enough. He saw that look in her eyes and his name on her lips and there is nothing he can do, but drive this wedge between them.

"_We are what we are."_

What they were was not meant to be. Then he had used the words they had said before.

"_We cannot escape it and we cannot fight it."_

She had used them back and it had hurt. For those words were true. They were true then and they were more than true now. Their paths were together but not in the way that they both had hoped. Together and apart. Close but separated.

"_I shall fight it."_

He had to fight it, for both their sakes, because if he had told her the real reason she would have fought and he would have lost. He would have lost her and losing her to Etro was just not going to happen. If staying away from her meant that Etro would not take her, he would do it. He would fight it. He would fight this desperate need to touch her, to hold her, to kiss her, to...

The strangled sound that had escaped her had nearly been his undoing. He had almost turned around and begged for her forgiveness for his callousness. But he didn't. Instead he had done the one thing that would have convinced her that he had been in earnest. He cut their connection. He cut it and he had felt the agony of losing her. Losing that piece deep within himself that nobody would ever fill. He teleported out of there and back into his rooms because he could not breathe. His hands clenched and he was about to throw an unfortunate chair against the wall when Etro came to him again.

"Very good, Dear One," she praised cheerfully.

"Stop calling me that," he hissed as he whirled around to face her. "You are enjoying this. I know you are. You love to see me so shattered."

"You are so beautiful this way," she agreed with a smile.

"Who is it?"

"What do you mean?"

"You said Stella was meant for someone else. Who is it?"

She smiled as she slowly vanished before him, but she whispered her answer. "The Solis heir."

He did pick up the chair then and smashed it against the wall and felt satisfaction when its pieces blasted all around his rooms.

The next couple of days were nothing short of torturous. When he had been paired with Procella for the scavenger hunt he had almost declined the game for the day and told her as much. Which only led her to laugh at him and he had not known why that was so funny to her. The hunts themselves had not been very difficult but he had not had his heart in them and had given the games to the others.

Vires had tried, in his very direct way, to ask him what was going on. Why he had been shunning Stella. What could he have said? He knew his friend would have only told Stella and she was not to know. He was not taking any chances that it would get back to her why, why he was doing this. It was much better that she became angry at him for being an ass. Better than knowing the real reason why. He refused to lose her to the one person he hated the most.

The day she was partnered up with Sol and he had seen how the sunny man could make her laugh so easily. Make her laugh so easily, so recently after he had torn his heart out for her. He had lost his mind. It really had been him, who had sabotaged their hunt. Sol had completely been within his rights to accuse him. He had not been sorry in the least and he did not even bother to deny it. That had thrown Sol off the edge and had issued him a challenge. A challenge he had been eager to accept.

It was a moment of complete madness on his part. He had not even given Sol a chance before he had beaten him soundly. Beaten him to a bloody pulp and drawn it out longer than it needed to be. He had only just had enough wits about him to stop before he killed the other man. It had felt really good and really pathetic, because he knew this was not the dealings of a rational mind. When it was finished, he had not even believed he had done it. All he had known was anger, anger and resentment that this man was to take Stella away from him. That this man, so completely his opposite, was the one that Stella had been meant for all along. That he would be the one that would share all the things with Stella that he would never be able to. It had driven him to insanity.

It did not make him feel any better when it had been Stella who had rushed over to Sol's bloody body first. It was even worse when it was she who had shouted and defended the man. He would have killed Sol right there if not for the fact that all the other Crystal Bearers were watching. As he noticed that, he also realized exactly what he had just done. He had almost killed another user of the crystal. It had been a disaster.

That night, when he knew that nobody would be with him, he had teleported into Sol's room to see how he was doing.

"Did you come to apologize?" Sol had asked in an almost bored tone, as soon as he had seen him. He had not even looked surprised to see him there. He had just continued to lay there as regally as he was.

"No."

"Have you come to finish the job?" That same bored tone. He had a bandage wrapped around the gash on his head and the entire left side of his face was bruised. His chest was wrapped over what he was sure were broken ribs. He had heard them crack when he had done it.

"No."

"Then what are you doing here?" The lack of bite in the man's tone made him look at him in question.

"I came to see if you would make it."

"I am not someone who can easily be killed," was the answer. "The next time you have a fit of jealousy, try not baiting an unwitting rival and using him as a living practice doll."

"I could say the same to you," he retorted, coming close to the other man. "For all those times you tried to bait me in front of Stella during our conferences."

"I was beginning to think you had no guts," Sol remarked.

"Do you doubt my guts now?" he had asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Stella loves you," the other man had answered as he glared up at him. There, there was the anger that Noctis had wanted to see. "She does not deserve the inexcusable behavior that you have been showing her this week."

He agrees whole heartedly with that, but he cannot tell the other man that. "We cannot pick who we love," he responded vaguely.

"I would not even dream of treating her that way," was the response.

"You are not me."

"Thank goodness for that!" There was a wince following that statement. "I cannot understand why she puts up with you."

"She does not have to do anything she does not want to."

"If you continue to treat her as you do, I shall win her," Sol had vowed.

He had almost wanted to finish the other man right there, but he stopped himself. He was to be the ultimate loser in the end and he knew it.

"Would you be good to her?" he had asked.  
Sol's face had gaped at him. "You, you are really asking that? You? I know you love Stella back."

"You need to rest yourself," he answered as he turned around to leave.

"Tell me that at least, Noctis," demanded the other man. "Even if you cannot admit it to yourself. You love Stella and I can venture to guess you love her more than she loves you."

Sol could not have been more right.

His back is to the other man when he responds. "Love grows cold."

The last day had been the worst. For he had to spend the whole day in her presence. In her precious presence and all he had wanted to do was take her and hide. Hide them both from Etro where they could live together and never be found. But there was no escape from death. There was no escaping her reach, no matter where he could have taken her. So he had merely given her a stern look so she would be too angry at him to speak and had made sure he had taken care of the more dangerous points of their hunt. Which only ended up angering her further. She had looked magnificent in her anger and annoyance.

She had snapped at him and he had retorted. Then it had hit him that this was something that he needed to relish. These precious moments where he could still be alone with her. After these trips, he would not get to see her so regularly. Then he would not get to see her at all. Then, as time passed, he would be sent an invitation to her wedding to Sol. His star would eventually marry the sun. It was so horrifically twisted that he had not been able to stop the anguished look that had appeared on his face when she looked up from reading their directions.

"_Why are you looking at me like that?"_

He had not been able to answer her. He was looking at the person he longed for the most and knowing that he could not have her.

"_Who are you?"_

She had tried to come closer and he almost jumped back from her. To come closer would be dangerous to them both. To come closer meant he would lose control of himself. So he had said what would make her step back on her own.

"_One who was not meant for the light."_

He had felt it as acutely as she did because he saw the pain in her eyes. The same pain that he felt inside himself. Their shared pain, but she needed to be angry. For her to be angry was so much better than her grief. He needed her angry and she had not disappointed him.

When the rain had come down mercilessly around them, neither of them had noticed it. He would have stood there all through it had it not been for the lightning bolt that had nearly cost her, her life. It had not even been a conscious thing. He had reacted to her in danger and had almost forgotten himself when he had saved her. Then the protectiveness had kicked in and he had immediately sought shelter for them both. It had been both a conscious and deliberate thing for him to take off his jacket and wrap her in it. If not his arms, at least a part of him would be able to be close to her. Then, taking care not to upset the scratches on her back, he had led her to a cave he had found and taken her inside.

She had not been responsive when they had reached the insides of the cave. He had almost panicked at her lack of gumption. Instead she had merely sat there, looking as dejected and lonely as he felt. He had allowed himself to see what he had been doing to her all week. To see her so lifeless had made him urgent. His hands clutched her face to bring it up to his and he had searched her eyes for that spark that he loved so much. It is when she brushes them away from her that he can breathe a little easier.

The cuts on her back were merely flesh wounds but he still had wanted to make sure they did not become infected. It was a mix of pride and exasperation when she had merely responded by zipping his jacket to prevent him from taking it off her. He could only kneel there and watch the emotions fly across her features.

"_Did you mean what you said? That you do not want to be friends."_

She cannot know how he had meant it, but his answer is the same.

"_Then there is nothing that you need me to say."_

"Noct! Open this door before I break it open!" Sapien's angry voice takes his thoughts away from his despair and he almost smiles at his friend's vigilance.

This time, he opens the door.

* * *

End Note: I would really like to hear your thoughts on this one.


	9. Adversus

A/N: This one was both enjoyable and challenging to write. I am going to try and leave the Eclipse Series alone, at least for a couple days, to let it all sink in. To _**Star**_, you brought up a very interesting thought. I'm glad you asked that.

Adversus is latin for 'against' or 'facing'.

Adversus

The month that had followed the disastrous trip to Ventosus had passed with her running herself ragged with the dealings of her country. She did not sleep much and when she did, they were filled with dreams. No, not dreams. They had been nightmares. Nightmares of the reality that was her life. Nightmares that replayed those awful, heart wrenching moments that had happened during their last trip. The days where she felt like her entire existence had twisted off its axis and she was spinning out of control.

So, the only way she felt that she could ground herself was through keeping her mind so preoccupied with the things within her kingdom that she could not think at all when the nights came. The nights when she would return to her rooms and see his jacket waiting for her. His jacket, that she had stolen in a fit of rebelliousness. It sat there, wrapped around the back of her favorite chair, reminding her of the man she loved so much. The man that had thrown her aside as if it had not been the most agonizing thing that he could have done. She did not even understand why. Why he had done it in the first place. There was no reason, that she could think of, that would compel him to do such a thing. It just did not make sense. No sense at all.

Noctis was not one to make such decisions lightly nor sporadically. She knew that there must have been a good reason behind it. There must have been. There was no other explanation for him to do it. He was not good at pretending with her. As much as she had wanted to believe that the blissful memories from the months before had simply been him pretending, it just did not seem possible. Not when what they had, had been so profound. Not when she had seen the way he had always looked at her. Not when he made her feel as if her world was complete whenever he was there. No, there was something wrong. As much as it hurt her to think that whatever the reason had been, that he had not even thought to ask her, her opinions on it, she knew that he must not have had a choice.

More often than not, she found herself staring at his black leather jacket. Sometimes her eyes just flew towards it when she was thinking too hard about any particular thing. She did not even realize she did it all that often when one of her ladies in waiting had kindly offered to get it cleaned for her. She not had the heart to get it cleaned. Not when the smell of him lingered within its lining. It would have been devastating to lose that scent of his. The scent that she loved so much. Not that she had taken the opportunity to sniff it, but his scent had been the only comforting thing when she had worn it. She knew that it would be gone even if she never took advantage of smelling it again.

It was not until a week before their trip to Sol's city of Aeterna Lux Solis, commonly referred to as Lux Solis, that a thought had come to her. The thought had literally stopped her in her own tracks and her eyes darted towards the jacket yet again. The thought had given her pause and had given her hope all in one and she felt like her heart had reason to beat again.

The jacket.

She should have realized it before. The jacket was Noctis' message to her. It was his way of trying to tell her something. Noctis loved this jacket. He wore it every chance he got. He preferred it over everything else that was in his wardrobe. If not his suit, he wore the jacket. It was his every day. It was a staple in his personality and he had not even tried to get it back. He could have easily teleported into her room that night and taken it but he hadn't. He could have asked for it back and even been as rude as having Vires ask for it back for him, but he hadn't. The very fact that he hadn't meant a lot. It meant so much and she had been too blinded by the exterior to see it before. Yes, he could very easily have made another one when he got home but there was just no replacing such a genuine, tailor made, worn to perfection piece of clothing. Some things just could not be replicated nor replaced. The jacket was one of those things. It was one of a kind and he had let her keep it.

You did not let someone you did not care about, no, someone you did not want to be friends with, keep something that meant so much to you. Noctis of all people. Noctis who kept the things he loved closest to him. Noctis who was very sentimental, even though he would deny that fact quicker than he'd activate his rune. No other reason made sense that he would let her keep it so easily. If he had asked for it back she would have refused to give it to him anyway, but he had not even tried. It could not have been simple cowardice on his part either. The cowardly way would have been sneaking into her rooms while she was asleep and stealing it back, which he had not done.

Blue sapphire eyes blinked as they regarded the black jacket again. It had not moved since she had placed it there upon her return. She did not even have a reason for placing it where it was. The decision to take it had been so sudden and so out of character for her, that she had not even considered what she was going to do with it once she returned home. Yet, she had kept it with her all through the trip back to Tenebrae and as soon as she had gotten to her rooms, had simply draped it over the back of her chair and hadn't touched it again. It had served as a reminder of the man that had broken her heart and now, it was a testament to the fact that she did not know what was really going on. The jacket, the precious jacket had given her hope. The jacket had told her that he loved her and that was worth fighting for. Whatever reasons he had for pushing her away was something that she was going to have to solve for him. Because it was obvious that he had not thought of any other way to handle things.

Then, she was faced with a most troublesome dilemma. How was she going to make Noctis tell her what was really going on? Going about it the blunt and straight forward way would not work. Getting in his face and demanding an answer would only make him withdraw further into himself. The trick was to bring things forward again and not leaps backwards, as they were now. She would have to drawn him out and entice him. She was just not sure how she was going to go about doing that. For she had to do it just right.

Noctis had seemed very tightly wound that week and it would not mix well to his already tightly controlled nature for her to tease him. She had to entice him in a way that he would not completely lose his senses. Not that she would not like to see that happening but it would not be conducive to his telling her what was going on. Teasing him with her feminine wiles would only make his physical control snap, not his mental control. She needed to know what was in his mind and not just play the temptations of his body. She had to be tricky and she had to make it look completely innocent so as not to alert him. She supposes this is made easier now that he had severed their mental connection. He would not be able to read her thoughts unless she could be privy to his.

She had a week to prepare for her visit to Sol's country and it had been a complete surprise when she had received an official invitation to stay an extra week at the beach residence. Sol's personal beach residence, to be exact, the week after the official visit of the Crystal Bearers. Her initial response had been a flat and immediate decline, but after some thought she changed her mind. It was summer now and what better place to take a vacation than at the beach? But it was only after she made sure that Astra could stay with her, that she had agreed to stay another week in Lux Solis. There was no need to start any more tabloid fodder when it was not completely necessary. Right now they were ablaze at the "break up" of their star couple. To avoid the reporters on that particular subject had been hard enough. How they even knew that, was an equal cause for bafflement.

Given what had happened between Noctis and Sol last month, it was obvious that things between the Solis party and the Nihilsomno party would be tense. She was still surprised and delighted when she saw that all three of Noctis' brothers had come to accompany him on this trip. Sapien was his right hand man and would demonstrate how serious they were about making amends. She still cannot understand why Noctis had shown such a lack of self control when fighting Sol. It was just not like him. Another thing to add to the growing list of things that Noctis was doing that was completely out of character. She did not catch a glimpse of Noctis himself though, but she was sure that he was already there somewhere.

Her initial happiness at seeing the three men together again was replaced with a weary apprehension. She had no idea how they were going to treat her. Those worries were somewhat alleviated when Sapien approached her.

"Stella," he greeted somewhat uncomfortably.

"Sapien," she replied a bit cautiously.

"I, uh, I wanted to ask…" he hesitated and she felt a flash of indignation flare inside of her.

"If you are here to ask for his jacket back, you can tell him that he needs to ask me himself," she snapped.

"Jacket?" he asked as if he looked completely perplexed for a second before he seemed to understand what she was talking about. A smile broadens on his face as he looked back at her. "So, you have his jacket."

"You, you did not know?" she asked perplexed.

"Noct didn't mention where it went. I was beginning to wonder why he hadn't been wearing it but hadn't had the thought to ask."

"He... did not mention it?" she asked as she began to feel her hope renewed.

"Not to me," was the reply.

Which meant, not to anyone. She felt her heart lift. Her suspicions were being confirmed.

"There she is!" she heard cried just before she's hugged from behind and lifted. She felt the breathe squeeze out of her as her feel are lifted from the ground.

"Get off her," came a gruff reply not far away.

"Des!" she managed to cry and her corresponding laugh is genuine and easy.

He puts her down so she can whirl to face him and Vires.

"It is so good to see you all together!" she cried and she meant it. Their smiling faces are such a reassurance.

"Missed me that much during the last trip eh?" asked Des with a grin.

"Sort of," she replied and smirks back at him. "I did have Vires afterall."

She winked at Vires and he blushes a little as he winked back.

"Ouch!" cried Des as he clutches his heart. "Already moved on!"

"It's what happens when you neglect a girl," she said playfully.

"Um, say Stell," said Des as he suddenly turns serious.

She braced herself for his question, but Sapien cuts him off.

"It's really stupid of us, but we were wondering… what happened between you and Noctis," he said and she almost can't believe that question had come out of his mouth.

"Wah, wait a minute. None of you know what happened?" she asked because if anyone, Sapien would know Noctis' thoughts.

"He's been Noct times a hundred this last month. Can't get a word out of him," stated Des with a worried frown on his face.

She looked at Vires. He had been there when it had all started to happen.

"He never said anything to me either," confessed Vires. "I tried during the last trip but I couldn't get anything out of him. I just thought that maybe you guys had gotten into a fight."

"But even I asked you what was wrong with him," she stated.

Vires merely shrugs. Her eyes reached Sapien's.

"What has he been like this past month?" she asked.

"Like Des says, Noct times a hundred," Sapien answered.

"And you were hoping I had a better idea?" she asked.

Three heads nod at her.

"The three of you are his brothers. He does not even want to be friends with me," she stated.

"Um, sorry to break this to you, Stell," said Des. "But I wouldn't want to be friends with you either… oof! Hey!"

"What he means to say is," said Sapien with a roll of his eyes. "Noctis would want to be more than just your friend."

"So if anyone can reach him, it would be you, Stella," said Vires.

Her eyes blinked several times as she tried to process this. It was what she had been hoping but it was a completely different feeling to have these men tell her so. "He has cut me off from him. He closed our connection."

"If you can't reach him, then he's going to keep being Noct times a hundred permanently," said Des.

"I do not think I am the right person," she said looking at Sapien.

"Noct loves that jacket. He let you keep it without saying anything," pointed out Sapien.

"No way! Stell, you're the one that has his jacket?" asked Des as he shared a look with Vires.

"Maybe he just could not ask for it back?"

"Pffttt," sayed Des with a shake of his head. "He's Noct. He has no problem asking for his stuff back and he doesn't care about being rude about it either."

"Just to you," commented Vires with his large arms crossed against his chest.

"Makes no difference!" protested Des.

"You're the one, Stella," reassured Sapien.

"I, I really do not think I can. He was very clear." But, had he really been completely clear?

"I think you already know you are the only one that can break through to him," said Sapien.

She gave them all a shy smile. It had been her plan to get him to break afterall.

"What do you think I should do?"

"Look really hot?"

Sapien let out a long suffering sound and rolled his eyes before replying. "I think it'll come to you. If its not natural he'll be sure to pick up on it."

"I, I really have no words," she said. What was there that she could have said? "I thought that the three of you would stop speaking to me."

"Eh?" asks Des. "Why would you think that?"

"Well, I…"

"We are his friends, not his lapdogs," commented Sapien with a smirk.

"Though we'd probably have to do that if he asked," added Des with a pained look on his face.

"Noct knows he's in the wrong here, which is why he hasn't told any of us what's really going on," said Vires.

His logic did make sense.

"Won't he be angry that you are all speaking to me?" she asked.

"I think he's been more angry at himself," said Sapien with a shake of his head.

"Next time don't be such a stranger, Stell," said Des, as he gave her a wink. "This would have been over much quicker if you hadn't been avoiding us too."

It was not as if they called each other but she understood what he meant and smiled she felt her real smile returning.

"Are all of you after the same girl?" a familiar voice asked behind them. It froze them all where they stood.

She could feel the shiver make its way through her spine and her heart began to race. It took all her will to stop the lovely shiver from showing.

"A guy's gotta try," answered Des easily.

She turned around to look at him for the first time in a month and had to bite her lip to keep her emotions under control. He looked so very different and yet completely the same. She could see that there was a little bit of her Noctis hidden underneath all that carefully blank expression. The warmer climate had him in pitch black jeans and a black tee instead of his usual leather. He was also not wearing a replica of his jacket. His eyes looked tired but his face looked tight around the edges. It was that control that he fought every minute of every day to keep in place. It made her ache for him.

"Hello," he said and its that same flat tone that he had used before, when all this had started. They had all been together then, as well.

"Hello," she answered with a slight tilt of her head. She was sure that he could hear how fast her heart was beating.

"How is your back?" he asked but it sounded like he wanted to ask her something else.

"The cuts were not deep," she barely managed to answer through the torrent of emotions within her. "They healed quickly."

He nodded in response and looked at Sapien. "The council of Solis is waiting for us."

"I'll be right there," said Sapien as he looked at Stella again. "See you later, Stella."

"Bye, Sapien," she answered with a smile.

The two of them are about to walk away when Noctis turned around again to look at the three of them.

"It takes two of you to make sure she stays safe?" he asked and though the tone is flatter than normal, there was a hint of a joke in there.

"Oh well, gorgeous girl such as Stella, one can't take too many chances," grinned Des cheekily.

Noctis did not grin back, but he merely turned back around and walked away with Sapien without another word.

Stella watched him as he left and heard a snicker coming from both Des and Vires.

"What?" she asked looking at the both of them.

"See? Right there," said Des proudly. "If he didn't want to be more than friends with you he wouldn't have let us hang around you."

"But he did not say anything," gaped Stella.

Des and Vires shared another knowing look. "Looks like there is hope," said Vires and they both had looked relieved.

"Come on, Stell," said Des as he offered her his arm. "Did you bring a lot of your ladies in waiting with you?"

The laugh that escaped her rang through the halls as she took his arm and Vires' arm and the three of them approached her party. In the last month, laughter had not come easily and to have it again was a gift. She was so very grateful to those wonderful men for giving it back to her. The trip had actually started to look hopeful.

There were no meetings to be had for the other Crystal Bearers. Things were still pretty intense between Nihil and Solis. So the members of those two parties were the ones that were holed up in meetings for the rest of the day. Which meant that the other Crystal Bearers were free to enjoy the sun and sands of the many beaches. Sol had organized catered tents and shaded cabanas just for them right by the water. She was not sure where Vires and Des had disappeared to after they had escorted her to her rooms earlier. Something about boy stuff, which she did not believe for a second. She just hoped that they didn't get into too much trouble, whatever they were really doing.

"The sun is so very different here," commented Astra as they are both lazily lounged out in the sun.

Astra was wearing a deep green bikini that brought out the redness in her hair. She looked like a forest nymph with golden tanned skin and long red hair. Her gentle features were serene as she basked in the rays of the sun. She was such a unique beauty. Procella had simply stated that she did not do the sun and had promptly disappeared in one of the cabanas and closed the curtains tightly behind her. She had not even had a chance to see what the other woman had been wearing under her thick robes. Vitrum and Mira were off at the Boardwalk, buying candies for everyone and the men were debating politics, again.

"It feels good to be out in the sun at all," commented Stella as she lay beside her.

"Stella," called Astra and she could hear her friend turn towards her in the sand. "Have you spoken to him?"

It caused Stella to open her eyes and look back at her green ones. "Yes, briefly."

"How did he treat you?"

"He was courteous."

"Have you figured out why?"

"I am going to work on that," she answered evenly.

"Have you thought about Sol?"

Her blue eyes looked at her friend in surprise. "What do you mean?"

"Sol seems to genuinely fancy you," said Astra. "Maybe you could give him a chance."

"Why would you say such a thing?"

"He did ask you to stay an extra week and you actually agreed."

"Only on the condition that you could stay with me," she protested.

"It would be another week in his company. It could be taken that you have started to return his interest."

"I have no interest in Sol that way. Noctis is the one that I want."

"What would Noctis think about it?"

"He… well he is not in a position right now to tell me where I can take my holiday."

"You do not care how he will react when he finds out?"

Maybe just a little, she admitted to herself. "I cannot rightly say."

"Noctis has been acting so strangely. The fact that he beat Sol so bad makes me frightened of him," the other girl shivered as she recalled the beating.

"Noctis is not dangerous," defended Stella. "He could have easily killed Sol, but he did not."

Astra gave her disbelieving look.

"Noctis has just not been himself. I know there was a reason why he did what he did. He just cannot easily explain such things."

She watched as the other girl smiled knowingly. "I was just checking to see if you had any doubts," Astra said with a giggle.

"You, you really had me riled up with that," said Stella with a laugh of relief. How easy it was for her to instantly defend him, no matter how he was treating her. "Does that make me pathetic?"

"No," answered her friend. "It just means you are in love. There is nothing pathetic in that."

"Which brings me to you," said Stella with a grin.

"Me?" asked Astra as a look of surprise took over her features.

"You have not told me what has been happening with your male suitor."

"My male suitor?"

Stella looked around to make sure nobody was within hearing distance before elaborating. "Fulgur?"

She watched as her friends eyes widen considerably and it made her giggle.

"Now you really have to tell me details," she said with a grin.

"You even grin like Noctis does," commented Astra with a grin of her own.

Stella felt her face turn red and she could not have even blamed the sun for it.

It had been then that Sol and Noctis had come to join them on the beach, leaving the conversation partially unfinished as Stella became too overwhelmed by his mere presence. Oh but he was gorgeous. She realized that she had not had ample opportunity to notice his shirtless form when they had, had their moment in the hot springs. She had been too preoccupied with the scar that ran along the middle of his back. Too preoccupied with thoughts of how painful that shot must have been. She was not distracted now, as the men decided to go surfing along the high waves. She took advantage of hiding behind her dark sunglasses to stare at him. After watching the men ride a few of the enchanting waves, the girls decided they had wanted to give it a try. Even Procella had come out of her cabana with an interest in trying.

Sol had been quick to offer his assistance to her. As he was the most qualified to teach her, she had reluctantly let him. Then everyone had paired off. She tried her best not to look over at Noctis as Sol climbed behind her onto the longboard. She tried not to look like she was really enjoying herself as Sol showed her how to follow the movements of the water as he rode with her during her first successful ride. She tried her best to not smile up at Sol in gratitude. It just did not turn out that way. It had been fun and Sol had really been a good teacher. It had been fun to be having fun when she had spent the last month so depressed.

The days that followed seemed to have the same schedule. They spent their mornings in their meetings and debated and learned about the problems plaguing the people of the country. Their afternoons were spent outside, where they learned many different types of games and local dances. They walked along the outdoor markets and tasted the local delicacies of the natives. It had been by far, the most relaxing and enjoyable of their trips. The nights were filled with dinners along the beach and over the water on top of the piers that consisted of all manners of sea dwelling creatures. They had silver moons whose reflections stretched across the glossy waters. The nights had been made for romance and it made her sad for her own romance. Though it had been nice to see the blooming ones of those around her. She spent the nights watching the couples as they danced around the other in gentle flirtations and hesitant touches. They ended evenings hand in hand as they snuck away to spend secret moments alone and she felt the loneliness the most then.

Even in the times that she had managed to catch Noctis alone, he had been nothing but pleasant and polite, but still distant. He was not as abrupt as he had been before but he was still pushing her away. There had been moments where she thought she had heard his voice in her head, but as soon as she heard it, it was gone. Those moments had given her more hope. That she could catch snippets of his voice meant that his control was slipping. So the pressure to talk to him had lessened when she realized that she did not really need to speak to him to make him lose it. All she needed to do was be herself and do her own quiet dance around him. Tempting him innocently with subtle words and gentle movements. She just needed to nudge very gently, little by little and he would come to her. They could not keep this up forever. Noctis was as drawn to her as she was to him. It would not be too long, she hoped. She just had to exercise the patience that she had been working on, to let it be him that would come to her because her approaching him had always ended with unsatisfactory results. In those moments, where she had felt frustrated at her lack of progress and wanted to give up, Sapien, Des and Vires had always been there to offer her encouragement. She needed to hold on to her hope.

Her dreams had began those nights to sweet moments of days passed. The moments that she and Noctis had shared. Their scars. Their insecurities. Their mutual failures. Their triumphs. Whatever was theirs and theirs alone. Then the dreams had shifted all together on the night before their last day, when Noctis' beloved form seemed to have been replaced by Sol's bright one. Instead of Noctis holding her and kissing her it had been Sol. Instead of Noctis sharing those moments with her, it had been Sol. It had seemed so wrong and so unnatural that it had woken her up in the middle of the particularly dark night. She had jumped up and out of her dream and thought she could have sworn she had seen a shape instantly disappear beside her. She would have believed herself mistaken if not for the chill that had seemed to permeate within the room as she sat there, upon her bed. Someone had definitely been in there.

Those thoughts would not let her rest again until she got up to investigate. Only to find that Noctis' jacket had disappeared. It was gone and no matter how hard and how many times she looked through her belongings, it was no where to be found. She felt the pain of losing him all over again at its loss. So he had come to get his precious jacket back afterall. The thought was as devastating as it was soul crushing and she did no more that night, but sit in the middle of her floor sobbing. She sobbed until the light of the sunrise crept through her curtains and onto her prone, pathetic form.

The next morning, which had marked the last day of their official trip and signaled the start of her vacation, she had been in a rage. How funny that devastation could so easily turn into outrage. She was so tired of being so forlorn. It was time to get angry. He had broken into her rooms to steal something from her and he had not been within his rights to do so. True, the jacket was his by definition but that was not the point. The point was that he had come into her rooms without permission, thereby violating her privacy and taking something that she should have had every right to keep. The morning and the following afternoon had been spent with her in a fit of indignation and simmering anger. That night, their last night, she was going to have words with Noctis, no matter how indulgent he was feeling.

Sol had prepared that night to be a special night. To bid his fellow Crystal Bearers a fond farewell, he had spared no expense on their last dinner together in his country. A yacht that had all the amenities that one could think of was decorated and displayed to take them all on a cruise as they ate and drank and danced their last night away. The moon was the shape of a crescent above them as they had set sail early into the evening to watch the sunset. It would have all been considered magical had it not been for her sour mood.

The meal had been beautiful to behold and delicious to the taste. It made her wish that she had, had more of an appetite to enjoy all the delicacies of the sea. Yet, there was some comfort in the fact that she had another week to try these again. Despite the obvious, the week had been far more enjoyable than the week they had all spent together previously. None of which was anyone's fault but Noctis'. Everyone was more relaxed and even though Noctis' mood had not entirely improved since the last time, the environment called for nothing but. They had all come so weary and they were now uplifted and ready. Everyone except her and Noctis, but she was not selfish enough to wish her current misery on anyone and was happy to have it instead of them.

She was currently sitting beside Sol with Astra on her other side and Grando on the other side of her. Noctis, Sapien, Des and Vires were across from them. Sapien and Grando had no trouble speaking with each other about the latest handhelds that were being manufactured and were competing about who would get it before the markets even distributed it. Des was a mix of jokes that had Astra giggling nonstop beside her, while Vires looked about ready to head slap his friend. Noctis and Sol seemed to be in some sort of silent battle of wills and had been silent for the majority of the meal. It was not a new thing considering they were always at odds. So she did not think much of it. She had opted to remain quiet and offer Des an appreciative smile for his attempts at making her laugh. Oh how she wished he could stay to cheer her up in the next week.

"That reminds me," said Sol matter of factly as he tapped his finger against his chin. "What would you enchanting ladies like to do first tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow?" asked Sapien as he cut off his conversation with Grando.

"We're all leaving tomorrow," stated Des.

"Stella has decided to stay with me for another week," stated Sol with a smug smile on his perfect lips.

"With Astra," she clarified as she suddenly felt very shy with the four pairs of eyes looking so intently at her.

"Why are you staying another week, Stell?" asked Des. The confusion clearly written on his endearing face.

"I thought it would be nice to have a real vacation for once," she said and she wondered just where her anger had gone to when the very source of it was looking at her like she had just betrayed him. "It is summer and where better to spend it?"

"In Nihilsomno," answered Des so quickly and so truthfully that she almost smiled.

"I invited her to stay within my home on the outskirts of the city," remarked Sol, emphasizing the word 'my', as he smiled his most charming smile at her. "I was most thrilled when she accepted. I will be sure to show you all the most exciting sights."

"Your bedroom wouldn't be on that list would it?"

"Des!" she cried as her hand flew to her mouth in shock.

She felt the entire room grow exceptionally silent. All eyes were trained on all the occupants of their table.

There was a very long moment of silence that followed. A few of the lights on the chandelier were flickering. The plates, cutlery, glasses, and vases laid out on the table were beginning to rattle and shake. She could find the tingle of crystal energy as the tension seemed to mount. She could see Astra's hands grip her napkin tightly. She could see the stern faces of Des and Vires. She could see that Noctis' right eye was beginning to glow brightly and she could hear her own heart pounding within her ears.

"That sounds rather nice to me," stated Sapien as smoothly as if there was no tension at all. "We still have some unfinished matters that our councils need to discuss together and I had been wondering whether it would have been possible to stay longer so that we could rectify them."

"That is very true," answered Sol and it surprised and relieved her that the idea did not seem to bother him. "The four of you are more than welcome to stay in my home too."

"I think that's for the best," stated Vires as his eyes glared at Sol.

"So do I," said Des.

"If your sovereign leader does not object that is," mocked Sol as his golden eyes looked at Noctis' red ones.

"That is fine," is the answer and it's delivered with such deliberate, forceful blankness that it almost makes her afraid for Sol.

"Excellent," said Sol as he turned to look at her and she hoped she was at least giving the appearance of someone calm and collected. She was definitely not feeling either. "Stella, it looks like we are to open up the dancing this evening. May I have this first dance?"

She looked at Sapien, Des and Vires but she could not look at Noctis as she gave her hand to Sol and accepts. Their faces showed varying degrees of wariness as she turned to regard Sol as he lifted her from her seat and led her to the dance floor. She had no idea how she got through that dance, but she did. Sol did not try to pursue any sort of chit chat but merely smiled down at her and she was not sure if she smiled back. It was soon over and she was soon in the arms of another partner and then another but she took no note of whom. She only knew that her world was spinning.

During a lull in the music, she excused herself and all but ran out towards the stern to catch her breathe. The sounds of the water drowned out the sounds of her gasps as she tried to steady herself. Her hands clutched at her chest as she bent over from feeling so sick. She slowly made her way towards the very end of the stern and rested her hands on the railing. There were tears in her eyes again and she hated that they were there. Hated that she was so weak and so fragile when it came to that, that man. She lowered her head as if in shame and was not sure what she would have done after that, before two arms snatched her from around her waist and pulled her back towards the rear doors.

"Let go of me!" she cried as she struggled in familiar arms.

"What are you doing standing so close to the edge?" his voice hissed in her ear and his arms did not let her go.

"I was just catching my breathe," she insisted. "I said to let go of me!"

She felt the reluctance as he did what she asked before she whirled to face him.

"How dare you!" she cried and she did not care that she looked wild in that moment. "What do you care anyway?"

"I never said I did not care," he answered and she hated the calmness in his voice.

How could he be so calm when she felt so out of control?

It made her even more angry.

"Don't you dare stand there and act like you have every right to care after what you have said to me."

"I said I did not want to be friends."

"Then you have no right to care!"

"Stella," his tone warned, but she paid it no heed.

"No! You have done enough. You have said enough!" she cried. "It does not seem to matter that you have worried all your friends with this, this mock version of yourself. So you do not get to care about what I do." She had stepped back further back from him.

He did not say anything, which only angered her further. She did not notice that his hands had started to clench.

"As if it had been bad enough for you to tell me that you did not want me in your life. That you severed what had bound us. That you threw me away like some unwanted baggage. You had to break into my rooms and take the one thing that had given me hope."

"What do you mean, 'break into your rooms'?" he asked suddenly and she is too far gone to notice his tone either.

"Do not even try to deny that it was not you last night in my rooms," she accused, pointing her finger at him. "That you did not come and steal the only reminder that I had left of you. That you took the only hope I had that you loved me too. It does not seem to matter to you that you are killing me all over again."

His face completely changed then. Gone was the stoic, distant Noctis that had appeared this past month and there, there was the Noctis she knew. Her Noctis.

She had not even had time to register the change fully before she was in his arms with his lips fully pressed against hers. The suddenness of his movements made her gasp and he took advantage of her open mouth. It had not even been in her to resist him, as mad as she was. She merely gave in because that was all she had been capable of doing. All she had felt was the overwhelming completeness that only his arms could bring and she could hear him. She could hear him in the way that she had not been able to this whole long month without him. He kissed her again when she cried out with the joy of his return. She returned his kiss as she pressed herself even further against him as their thoughts mingled together.

_IloveyouIloveyouIloveyou..._

She could not tell if those were her words or his and she had no time to find out for sure before he jumped away from her and the connection slammed shut once again. Her arms reached for him in response and the look on his face. Oh the look on his face. It had been one of terror. Not terror of her but... for her? She did not understand.

"No...," he had voiced just below a whisper. "No.."

He staggered back in the most uncharacteristic fashion and then he was gone. Gone in a flash of crystals and she was alone once again. Alone with kiss swollen lips that only had one question.

_What was going on?_


	10. Amitto

A/N: I took a couple days away from this verse and I'm not sure if it did me any good. I was going to delve into a week of Noctis' POV spanning the week that would have been Stella's vacation in Lux Solis and then thought… that would be too much. Noctis is very wordy and I don't think a one shot can hold the amount of thoughts going through his brain for a week. The most his thoughts spanned was a day for a chapter in Noctum and he had been asleep for most of it. LOL!

Amitto is latin for "to let slip away".

Amitto

_What have I done?_

He could not stay in her presence. He would do something unfortunate for them both. A quick flash of blue and he was in his rooms in the large estate of the Solis family. It was the only place he could go. Quickly making his way further into his voluminous rooms, he had practically torn off his black blazer and thrown it against one of the many plush couches. He unbuttoned the top buttons of his dress shirt collar as he pulled open the large, glass balcony doors and stepped out into the brisk night ocean air. Bracing himself against the railing he leaned on his arms as his eyes looked out into the ocean.

He had snapped. There was no other way to put it. Control always had a limit and Stella had broken it with a well worded statement. Her emotional outburst had torn into him. After a month without the comfort of her voice. Without even her internal whisper. Anything that would have alerted him that she was all right. Instead he had to be mindful to keep the connection closed through his nightmares. The nightmares that did not cease, but seemed to become more terrifying. It had been a month of a lack of her and it had been nearly unbearable.

The shrieking laughter hit him before he could prepare for it, as the life seemed to be sucked out of the room with her appearance.

"That was just... such a sight to see," she commented as she laughed a bit more.

He did not even turn around to acknowledge her presence just behind him. His eyes remained focused on the view. The ship was still further out on the water as his red eyes kept watch over it.

"You are going to brood all night now, aren't you?" she said with a sense of exasperation.

He does not think about anything as he continued to watch the ship.

"Ignoring me is not going to make me go away," she scolded.

"You stole my jacket from Stella," he said calmly. His eyes never left the ship.

"Why should I do such a petty thing?"

He turned to look at her then. "And none of this is just pettiness on your part?"

She slanted her eyes at him but he did not cower.

"I was wondering when you would finally snap with her," she said with an upturn of her nose. "You were spectacular."

His own red eyes slant at her. "You wanted that to happen?"

There was something in her eyes that belied what she said next. "Of course."

"No you did not," he said, calling her out on her bluff. "You did not foresee that happening at all. You did not count on Stella accusing me outright for the disappearance of my jacket."

She tried to smirk but he already knows he is right.

"You are making mistakes," he stated as he cocked his head to side to look at her quizzically.

"Gods do not make mistakes," she sniffed.

"You have before," he pointed out.

The expression on her face seemed strained, though the smirk never left her face. They both knew that he was right.

"You turned out all right from that last time," she commented.

"All right?" he hissed. "What about that was all right?"

"So quick to get upset," she mocked. "You are still not over that?"

"Never," was the answer. To think otherwise was idiotic.

"You are not being fun," she lamented.

"I am not your fool."

"Oh but you all are, Dear One," she said. "All of you flapper around during your lives and cause us great amusement."

"It is cheating to manipulate the play," he said darkly.

She merely shrugged, uncaring.

"What did you do with my jacket?"

"Your jacket? When you had so clearly given it to her?" she asked, not even bother to deny it had been her that had taken it.

He slammed his mind shut before she can read his mind. "She had it. I merely had neglected to ask for it back."'

"On purpose."

"If you think so," he said with a shrug of his own. "You do not mean to tell me that you are keeping it?"

There is a challenge in there and they both can hear it.

"Of course not," she scoffed. "Why would I want anything of yours?"

"Just my life apparently," he said blandly.

"You will find it," she said.

She was gone before he blinked again. He got the distinct feeling that their encounter unnerved her more than him. It had felt like it had been his first triumph in this sick game that they were playing.

He allowed himself a sigh of relief as he turned back to stare as the ship began to make its way back to the harbor. Dinner was finally finished and they were returning. His thoughts quickly turned to Stella. What had she done when he had left her so abruptly? Had she gone back inside to find comfort with Sol? Would Sol have gone outside himself to find her there, all alone?

This was just misery of the acutest kind. To think that anyone would say such a foolish thing as "time heals all wounds" was a load of junk. Time had not made it easier. Time had not made him feel as if he could handle it. Time had not taken away these feelings of agony and loss. Time had only renewed them. Time had only made his heart grow fonder. Time was not his friend either way.

It had been a long month of avoiding the nagging questions of his brothers. He had, had to revert into himself to keep from telling them what was the matter. What was really the matter because they knew that the superficial reasons could not possibly be it. They who knew him the best and the longest and there were three. Sapien had persisted the most, because he was the only one best to get it out of him. Yet even he could not budge his resolve to remain silent on the matter. Des had joked, had jabbed and had jeered but he was forced to give up too. Vires, well Vires never really was much for speaking and after bluntly asking him what was going on, had made no further attempts. The entire month had been a trial and he did not think he had ever felt more alone in his life.

Etro had not appeared in full form after his return to Nihilsomno. Instead she whispered in the air around his rooms and cackled her laughter. Her whispers were like mock imitations of the whispers that had plagued his mind. He had never thought that the day would come where he missed those whispers, but he did now. She tried as she has always tried. She had wanted to replace something that was dear to him. First his mother, then Stella and now the whispers that he wished he had never learned to ignore. They would have warned him to this. They would have given him time to prepare a counter attack.

It had confused him to think that only a month had gone by without anything related to Stella. He had wondered what kind of a weak, pathetic fool he was for missing her so desperately in so short a period of time. It had only been a month. Yet it had felt like the longest month of his life. A short period of time in the expanse of his life. If he could not endure this first month, how was he to endure the rest of his life without her? It took him awhile before he realized why he had felt the withdrawal so immensely. He had never gone a month without her before.

This had made him think back to the very beginning. He thought about the night that they had first met. They had been in the observation deck together after the stately dinner with Lord Nuntius of the Tenebrae. They had come to make sure that he would not rage war on the attempt on his life. How ignorant he had been to what had lie ahead of him that night. Seeing her as she stood observing Etro's portrait. That smile that always made his heart feel alive. A small conversation that led into one of the most important relationships of his life. They had met again that very same night. He had not expected her then either. It was the thoughts of her and how she had made him feel, that he had deliberately pushed aside when he had broken into the morgue that night. Even at the earliest stages of their relationship, he had craved her. She had surprised him in the morgue with her cunning and her ingenuity. Then she had touched him. Just a light, brief touch on his cheek and she had left him stunned and speechless in the backseat of Vires' van.

It had not been a week later when he found himself within her city to seek her out. He had run from his own country to investigate and had followed her on the streets of Tenebrae. It had been the first time he realized that they could speak. No, not just speak. They could project simple thoughts to each other. They were connected as he knew he would never connect with anyone else again and he had not wanted to believe it. He had refused to believe it. She had stunned him utterly when she had told him, upon her own balcony, that she was falling in love with him. With him of all people. He, the darkness itself. This bright star was falling in love with the darkness. He had been unable to understand how such a thing were possible. Then she had kissed him. She had kissed him and his response had been more than just a physical urge. It was a closeness that he had never experienced before. People had never been in the custom of touching him and there she was, pressing her soft, fragile lips against his. It had awoken something inside him. Awoken that need that had been neglected since the death of his parents. That need for physical affection. His craving for her had gotten stronger.

The next day had changed their relationship even further. When he had seen her look so afraid, so terrified within the panicked streets of her city, a protectiveness had settled in. He had wanted to slay anyone that had been responsible for that fearful look in her eyes. Then the stifling sense of betrayal when she would not tell him exactly what she had witnessed within the cathedral to Etro. If he could have only stopped to compartmentalize everything, he would have realized much sooner, what exactly had been the cause of her distress. Her fear had been for him and for what she knew he was going to do. In the end it had been he who had betrayed her and things had only gotten worse from there.

He had killed her. It did not matter that, that had not been his intention. It had not mattered that it was he who should have died by her sword that night. That was why he had gone to her in the first place. Yet, even in her anger and her need for revenge, she had been rational enough to give her life for his. That she could still have her wits while under deep emotional duress. He was so terribly unworthy of her.

Then this whole wretched business had begun. Etro had given him the gift. The gift that would be rewarded to the last user of the crystals. He had been dying already and it had only been accelerated by Aenigma's bullet through his back. He had wanted to die. There had been nothing left for him to do. Yet it was not to be. For he had been the last and therefore granted a privilege and an obligation to make the world aright where it had gone terribly wrong. A weighty responsibility that would be shared between himself and Stella and users of the 8 other crystals. He had not wanted it. He would have gladly left it to Stella, but it had not worked out that way. He had been forced to live. Forced to live with more power and a longer life. He had thought that it would be spent with Stella. No, he had hoped and wished for it to be with Stella. He could not have imagined a more full and satisfying life for himself.

There would be no one else but her. It would be impossible to replace her. She saw him. She knew him. She understood him. Even within that first meeting, she had seen right through him and she had smiled. That night, when he had met her again upon the observation deck, he had felt such hope. Looking into her eyes, he had felt like he had finally come home. Stella was home and without her, there was no place to return to. What was left of him was merely a shell and a lifeless one at that.

Through everything that they had been through within the last few months, they had never been separated for very long. There were innumerable amounts of phone calls. There were many visits and they had, had their connection. They had not been able to have full conversations from so far a distance but if one had experienced any outburst of intense feeling, the other would feel it. Like the few times he had not been fast enough to not wake her when he had, had a particularly horrific nightmare. It resulted in all night talks that consisted mostly of her reassuring breathes across the phone line. Just hearing her was enough to relax him. So, now when he had purposely cut her out after getting so reliant upon what she was to him, a month without her had understandably felt like an eternity.

He was cursed. He had always known this. He had just been too caught up in having hope that he had forgotten. Everything about him was a curse. He was a fool. A fool to the greatest degree. He should have known better.

Alas, after a month of longing and sleepless nights, he is almost immediately greeted with her charming his brothers further. The three of them relaying to her how he had been himself times a hundred had been both amusing and disheartening. To be able to watch her while she was too distracted to notice had been a gift. To see how her face lit up and the light, teasing mood with which they had all spoken had made him feel as if this was not right. It was not right in the least that Etro keep them apart like she was. There was no way that Stella did not belong with him. Not when she fell so into place within his life and with the very ones that mattered the most.

The past week had been anguish. To see her every day. To see her dressed so as to display all of her milky skin. Skin that slowly turned sun kissed as the week had progressed. To see her sitting upon a longboard with Sol's thighs pressing against hers. To see her smile up in gratitude when he taught her how to surf. To hear Etro's voice ringing in his ears that, that was how it was supposed to be. That his star was going to marry the sunny man. To see that her skin was starting to resemble the other man's too. That they were two golden beings that had to be together. It had not felt right. It had not looked natural. It had not matched at all.

The very idea that Stella, who was the star of his night, would marry someone who resembled the sun seemed completely preposterous. They were not even within the same period of the day. As brightly as Stella shone, she was made for the night, as he was. Daylight welcomed her but that did not mean that she chose it. Not when they both thrived within the night. It just did not look that way. Not when they perfectly contrasted each other, her and himself. Black and white. Light and dark.

Yet the torment continued. A week's long torment of being nice to her. Nice, which was supposed to have such positive connotations, seemed so bland and distasteful. He was just nice to her. He was pleasant. That had only made it worse. He could see it in her eyes when he was being so. It frustrated and saddened her to see him that way. The tense niceness that he showed her was not doing either of them good. After each of her attempts to engage him, he had felt the tension mounting. They were going to explode. It had only been a matter of time. They were those stars that collided and the end could only be an explosion.

Sitting on that boat, watching as she sat beside his unwitting rival, he could do nothing but stare. Stare in longing and simmering anger. There had been heavy amounts of resentment. It should have been he that she sat beside, not that other man. He was very thankful for his brothers. Thankful for Des, who had said everything that he had wanted to say but could not. Thankful for Vires, for his silent anger. Thankful for Sapien, who had given them all a reason to stay and make sure that Sol did not try to seduce Stella.

That she would stay a week, with that other man was just unbearable to contemplate. It did not matter if they shielded that fact with a semblance of a chaperone in Astra. Astra who was too fragile to handle just about anything. She would not have been a hindrance to Sol's plans at all. He knew that Stella had an affection for the girl, but she had proved that she was not to be trusted to protect in certain situations. Des had taken the words right out of his mind when he had questioned Sol's motives. It had not mattered then, that he had many appointments back in Nihilsomno that he needed to see to. Stella took more precedence. He would not turn his back on this. If Sol were to replace him in Stella's affections, he wanted to be there. He wanted to see it with his own eyes as it happened. Selfish as it may have been, he wanted visual proof that he was not meant for the woman that he so dearly loved.

He was not even fully aware of himself when he had approached her on the stern. All he had seen was her leaving the dance floor, looking as if her world were falling apart and he could not have brushed that aside for anything. So he had followed her and it had almost gotten him into a panic when, for a moment, she had looked as if she were about to jump. He had done what was only natural, he had grabbed her. Grabbed her and pulled her away from the danger that she had placed herself in. He had not thought she would reply with her outraged cries. She had been magnificent in her anger once again. He had never had a chance to witness her in such a state before this entire wretched ordeal, but he found a sense of pleasure in seeing it in her now. To see how her eyes flashed to life and her lips move with such vitality. It made him ache for her all the more.

"_What do you care anyway?"_

There was nothing about her that he did not care about. Her overall welfare was what was defining all his actions. It was the reason he was pushing her away. It was for her own good. It was for her life. So of course he cared.

"_It does not seem to matter that you have worried all your friends with this, this mock version of yourself. So you do not get to care about what I do."_

He was all too aware of how his friends were feeling about his current behavior. They may have not been able to get an answer out of him but that had not stopped them from voicing their concern to him. He heard it on a daily basis. She mentioned his having no right to care again when all he was doing was caring. He felt an underlying hurt within her that was moving her to be so angry and he was thankful for it. Stella did not deserve to be forlorn.

"_Do not even try to deny that it was not you last night in my rooms," she accused, pointing her finger at him. "That you did not come and steal the only reminder that I had left of you. That you took the only hope I had that you loved me too."_

That she should accuse him of being the one that had gone into her rooms the night before and taken his jacket back was only reasonable. Who else could it have been in her mind? It had just surprised him. Surprised him that someone had done it and not only that. That she had brought it with her when she could have easily discarded it as soon as she had returned home. His chest had felt so full knowing that she had figured out his meaning. That she had figured out the reasons he had let her keep it. She knew as he had hoped she would. There was never any disappointment in her for him. Etro had seen his reasons so it was only obvious that Stella would too. To know that she had kept it close to her was a comfort for him. That a part of him had been with her had made him feel almost content if he could not have been there himself.

Then she had said the one thing that had made all the pent up frustrations and desires to be unleashed. There was nothing else she could have said that would have pushed him over the edge. Trust her to say what would do just that.

"_It does not seem to matter to you that you are killing me all over again."_

She could accuse him of stealing his jacket back. She could accuse him of not caring about her. He could deal with those false accusations. What he could not handled, what he would not withstand, was her telling him that he was killing her all over again. That he would do such a thing again, to her. To the one he loved, cherished and adored. The one he was letting slip away so that she could live, would tell him that he was killing her. It was not to be born. So he had snapped. He had to hold her again. He had to feel her pressed against him again. He needed to kiss her again. It had been too much. It had finally tipped the scales of his control. There was nothing to do but grab her and kiss her. Kiss her so deeply and so thoroughly that she would have no doubts. A kiss to allay her fears and tell her that he was doing it for her. He knew she would feel it. The connection had flared back to life around them and his thoughts were so openly exposed.

To hear her again. To hear her say as if in a chant that she loved him. That she still loved him after he had so briskly pushed her aside. That her feelings had not changed. That Sol had meant nothing, made him feel hopeful all over again.

For a brief moment, that is.

Until he realized just what he was doing and he had jumped away from her. The fear and terror that had overwhelmed him as he realized the mistake he had made by kissing her. He had expected her to disappear in front of his very eyes and he realized he could not breathe again. He needed to get away from her before he did something else. The confusion on her face jolted him into action and he had teleported away from her. What she must have thought of his actions. His unpardonable and confusing actions. He was not being consistent at all and that was unfair to her. Yet what was he supposed to do? He wanted Stella. He wanted to be with Stella. But he could not be with Stella and that prevention was driving him to do things that seemed irrational and selfish. Things that were as conflicting as he was feeling. He just hoped that she was catching those clues as well.

Another week. Sapien had made it possible for them to stay another week. It was another week of Stella. Another week of seeing her every day. Somehow he knew that this week would be crucial. He had no idea why that was. It was just something, something that he felt. By the end of that week, something significant was going to happen. He just hoped that it would be not what he was fearing. He would not allow Etro to take Stella away from him. Like he has told himself before, he could not live without her and he would die if it was with her.

He nodded his head as if to reconfirm that vow in his head as he watched the boat dock safely and the bridge was being extended to bring the passengers back to shore. Walking back inside the interior of his rooms, he picked up his blazer and walked into his closet. His fist tightened over the unfortunate material when he saw his jacket hanging there, within his closet. He inadvertently dropped his blazer as he reached for it. The leather was slightly worn from the amount of water it had sustained when he had thrown it over Stella. She had not gotten it clean and he warmed, wondering if it was for the same he would not have cleaned it had she given it back to him. Lifting the lining to his nose, he inhaled and closed his eyes. He could still smell the lingering scent of her and a little bit of himself.

The sudden knocking at the door was not really a surprise but it took his attention away from the jacket. His face turned towards his door and he made his way to answer it. He was ready for Sapien's nightly lecture on etiquette and he was sure that it was going to result with another hundred questions that he cannot answer. He did not even stop to ask who it was, because he already knew. So he opened it wide and froze at who is on the other side of the door.

It most definitely was not Sapien.

"We need to talk," she said as she stood there a little awkwardly.

"I apologize for earlier..."

"I want to come in if I may," she countered, cutting him off.

"I do not think that is a good idea," he said honestly.

Her eyes looked up at him and slanted before she pushed him back to let herself in. He was so surprised he gave up no fight as his red eyes watched as she made her to the middle of his rooms. She stood there in moonlight and he realized he had not even turned on any of his lights. The moon is not full but it is enough to illuminate her and her white dress. Her white dress that seemed to cling and flow all at the same time. She was completely stunning.

This was not a good idea at all.

Then he saw her eyes dart down to his hand.

"So you did take it back," she accused all anew. "I almost believed you..."

"That was not me last night," he said quickly.

Her eyes remained skeptical as she eyed the jacket in his hand again.

He knew any attempts at explaining would only make him look guiltier.

"Do you want it back?" he asked, as he held it up to offer it to her.

She looked almost tempted to but she merely crossed her arms. She does not answer him.

"Why have you come?" he tried again and his tone is very careful.

"I want an explanation."

"I already tried apologizing..."

"You have never apologized for kissing me before," she said looking at him as if he were a complete stranger. "Am I just some visiting dignitary to you now? That you can hide behind decorum and politeness? Like I am just some insignificant, nameless person that you have to address formally?"

"You will never be insignificant to me," he rushed out before he could stop himself.

His confession merely confused her. "Then why?" she asked in a small voice. Her arms loosen and fall to her sides and she looked lost. "I think I need to know why you are acting this way, then I can at least move on."

_Move on?_ He was not exactly sure if he spoke that question aloud but she must have at least read the question from his eyes.

"It is obvious that you do not want me in your life," she said. "I would much rather be with someone that wanted me there."

"Someone like Sol?" he cannot help the bite in his voice when he said it.

Her eyes look almost watery as they looked back up at his. "With the way you have been acting this last month, you really have no right to be jealous."

He frowned as he looked at her. It had not been a denial. "Stella..."

"I am still waiting for an explanation," she reminded him.

What could he say? Was this not what he had been working towards? Had this not been the goal of his actions?

"What is it, Noctis?" she asked moving closer to him. "Is it so hurtful that you do not want to spare me? I am a big girl. I will be able to hear whatever it is that made you lose interest in being with me."

He knew his hands were clenched at his sides as he fought to keep from them reaching out and grabbing hold of her once again. There was nothing about her that he would ever lose interest in.

Her sigh brought his attention back to her.

"Perhaps you were right," she said putting her hand against her forehead. "This was a bad idea. I do not know what I was thinking, coming here like this. The guys thought that I would be the best one to bring you out of this, this mock version of yourself. They had been encouraging me to keep trying this whole week, but I know now that maybe I am the wrong person afterall. I know you have your reasons, you must have. Perhaps I am not used to being so easily pushed aside and it has gotten me a bit pushy. I apologize for that. I am not used to the ways of breaking off a relationship."

He wanted to tell her she was wrong. Wrong about everything, but he could not bring himself to. No matter how much it hurt him to hear those words coming out of her mouth. That he had pushed her to think such things. It really had been his intention to begin with. That only made it feel worse.

"So I suppose I should thank you for teaching me, for being kind enough not to be harsh about letting it end," she said coming to stand just in front of him. Their chests were almost touching and though he should step back to keep an air of indifference, he is rooted to the spot.

"When I leave this room, I will not burden you again. We will be comrades when we meet again," she said. "But I wanted to say good bye as lovers."

He did not have time to process her words fully before she brings his head down to hers to give him a kiss. A soft, gentle kiss that is full of good byes. He did not close his eyes because he wanted to see her face as she kissed him. It hurts. He can feel the pain of it as she pulls away from his lips and a tear rolls down her cheek. One of her hands touching his face, just like that first time. The touch is soft and lingering and he feels like his heart is breaking all over again. His eyes meet hers and he sees all the anguish and the longing that he feels himself. Her hand slowly slides down his face and down his neck, where it rests against his heart.

"Good bye, my Dark King," she said as she removes her hand and he immediately feels the loss of her warmth.

She steps around him and he turns around to stop her. For some reason he cannot find his voice to stop her. He is just about to reach the door but it closes behind her in a loud click. He does not think he has ever heard a door close more resolutely before. His hand tightens into a fist just at the knob as he bangs his forehead against the door. He tightened his jaw to keep his scream of frustration at bay. Before turning around to press his back against the door and bangs the back of his head two more times before he slides down and crumples to the floor.

"This cannot be right," he whispered to himself and shakes his head in denial. "There is no way that this can be what it was meant to be. Letting her slip away was not right. It was wrong. Living was not worth living at all if it was not with her. This cannot be good bye. This cannot be the end."

_It is not the end._

The echo of that whisper startled him and moved him all at once. No, it was not the end. It could not be. He did not even bother to get up before he teleports away from his rooms.

* * *

End Notes: Yes. It is a cliffie. I hope you enjoyed.


	11. Denego

A/N: I had to make sure I had thoroughly depressed myself before I could write this out. There would have been no way to write it so dramatically otherwise. I have had to do the same during the last couple one shots/chapters. But once I got myself in the right mood, everything else just fell into place. Then I just so happened to accidentally delete the last draft and had to redo it all again.

Denego is latin for "to refuse, deny or reject."

Denego

It was almost like it was happening to someone else. As she walked away from his rooms, she felt an odd sort of detachment. It was almost like she was not involved at all. As if she were merely an observer from the outside looking in. There was the absence feeling as she slowly, very slowly made her way down the long hallway and into the wing where the women were staying. It was stark denial is what it was. A refusal to believe that this was actually happening. She felt hollow and lifeless, like a shell with no substance and no essence to give her meaning. Her ladies in waiting were there to help her but she shakes her head weakly. They each give her looks of worry and dismay before they rush out to leave her to herself. When her doors are carefully shut behind them, she turns around to stare at it. She knows that now, she is completely alone and she cannot remain in her rooms right now.

A walk. Yes, a walk sounded very good. A walk and some of the fresh night sea air. That sounded very good, because to stay in her rooms after severing her relationship with Noctis was unbearable to think about. To spend another night weeping in agony while crumpled on the floor just would not do. She would rather go drown herself in the ocean. So, a walk it was. A walk along the waves and the sand between her toes. That would be a much better scenario. She would cry anyway, but it was far better than in her rooms. Her rooms that would only be filled with the sounds of her weeping. She needed to be around something louder, something that would drown the sounds of her cries.

So she is thankful that it had been a late ending dinner and that everyone was already asleep or close to being so and most of the estate was dark. It meant that she did not have to wait long before she began to sneak out. Silently she crept her way outside and into the night. There were no lights on beyond the patio area. The only light beyond that was provided by the crescent moon and stars. She knew it was still a little too dark so nobody would see her as she walked along the shores. For she did not want company. She did not feel like explaining and she did not feel like talking. What was she to say? Only to have them look at her with pity? No, she was not going to tolerate pity. Not right now.

_Breathe, just breathe_, she kept telling herself as she continued walking.

After he had left her so suddenly back on the ship she had remained there, staring at the space that he had just occupied. Had things changed so much that he could no longer kiss her without feeling uncomfortable? She had a prickle in her pride at the thought that he found kissing her so distasteful now that he had to leave her. Had he not felt how wonderful it had been? Had it just been one sided on her part that she felt that it had been? What was wrong with him? Or maybe, he just had not felt it. He must have. How could he have not felt it?

So it was with confused thoughts that she slowly made her way back to the interior where everyone was still dancing. Des had tried to engage her in a dance and she could only shake her head and walk back to their table. Sapien had been the one to approach her. She had not even noticed him at first as he sat in the empty seat beside her. He waited for a few long moments before he spoke.

"Stella, are you okay?" he asked and she could hear the concern in his voice.

" I… I really do not know," she answered.

"Did Noct talk to you?"

"He would have had to speak for it to be considered talking," she answered and she could not help the resentment that leaked into her tone.

"What did he do?"

She shook her head. "If anyone is to hit him, it should be me," she said turning to him and trying to smirk. She failed, miserably.

He gave her a weak smile back anyway. "I don't even know what to say, but he's being an idiot."

"He does not love me," she stated and she felt her heart pinch at the confession.

"He loves you too much," Sapien replied. He says it so firmly that she looked at him again. "I think that might be what is bothering him."

"He has never said that he loved me," she tried to counter.

"He wouldn't be Noct if he told you so easily," was the reply and he smirked at her over his glasses.

She supposed that was true. "What should I do, Sapien? I have tried and he just... I am so confused."

"I think you need to try to talk to him again."

"He would not speak to me just now. What makes you think he will when I try again?" she asked, not seeing how that would be helpful.

"Did he teleport away from you?"

"Um, yes," she answered. Yes, he had. He had bolted away from her as if in terror. She watched as a knowing smirk appeared on Sapien's face.

"Then you pushed him. You've sent him for a loop. You need to keep that momentum before you lose it. Then he'll snap and we'll finally get some answers."

"You think that is a good idea?"

"He's not going to tell me," he shrugged. "I've tried all that already but I can't push him like you can."

Her eyes did not look convinced, but they did look hopeful.

"I am sure he's in his room sulking right now. You'll be able to catch him."

While she cannot say that it was the best idea, she knew that it had been important. She had to at least try. Something had to give. This jumping around each other had to stop. She had finally been forced to just given him an ultimatum and he had still let her go. He had not even said anything. His eyes flickering when she had been speaking were the only indications that he was paying attention to her words. He had been that other Noctis again. She had even given him ample time to react. Time to tell her that he loved her and that he did have reasons for acting like such a jerk. Instead there was just silence. Even when she kissed him, she had felt a stiffness in him that had not been there before. It felt like he had merely been indulging her last request. Did that make her pathetic? That she had felt the kiss tingle down to her toes and he had been stoic in response? The thought just made her feel so wretched. There was nothing to say when one could feel such a thing from a kiss. She had almost lost her composure in front of him and she knew how disastrous that might have been. He would have left her there to escape the storm of feminine emotion. No matter that it was his room in the first place.

Her eyes stung now, very much.

This was not the end of the world. This sort of thing happened every day. It happened to all girls eventually. Hers was not the first heart to be broken. It would certainly not be the last. People can recover from this, yes people do recover from things like this. They recover and can even love again. Yes, she would love just as intensely again and with someone who would return her affections. Maybe someone who loved her more than she loved him. Yes, that would be something to look forward to. Especially now when she felt like she was dying from all this pain. This hurt that threatened to break her. No, there is hope. One day she will forget him and she will learn to love again.

How she wishes that were true. How she wishes she can remain hopeful that one day this horrible ache and emptiness would be gone. It takes everything within her not to sink to her knees on the sand and sob. Sob out her broken heart, but then maybe she could get a new one. A new heart with new hope sounded so good right now. She can almost be relieved at that. Then she makes her mistake. She turns her head back to the estate and her eyes immediately glimpse the windows of his rooms. She is a good distance away now but she can still make out which room was his and can picture his nonchalant form going to bed right now and she does fall then. Her legs no longer support her as she sits sprawled along the sand. She does not even care that her dress is ruined from all the dirt.

The sobs come as she knew they would. No matter how hard she tried to keep them at bay. Biting her lip, no matter how hard, did not keep them in her eyes. The pressure was just too much and they spilled out anyway. Once they started she could not stop them. They seemed as if they had no end. A few would escape and more would gather in her eyes to fall too.

She had really done it, hadn't she? She had told Noctis that after, after she left his rooms they would not be lovers anymore. No longer lovers on so deep a level. For it had not all been physical. It had been almost spiritual. She had told him she would no longer view him as anything more than a comrade from now on. A comrade? How was she to stand it? Sitting in the same rooms. Conducting the same conferences and meetings. The stately visits that were unavoidable. Could she see him each time and only see him as a comrade? Treat him no differently than Fulgur and Tonitrus? She could not even playfully tease him like she could with Des, Vires and Sapien. Not to mention when he would have to get married. He was a King and it was only logical that this subjects demand an heir to continue his dynasty. He would have to marry and he would have to produce a child. She would be required to attend each momentous event. Could she do that? Could she watch as he chose another to spend his life with? To experience the joys that can only come with the close intimacies of a mate that was not her. Could she do that? Could she just watch as it happened before her very eyes?

No, she could not.

Her hand clutches her chest because she can no longer breathe. The sobs have constricted her breathing and air does not seem to be enough. She chokes out gasps of air and she can no longer see through the tears in her eyes. She cannot do it. She will not do it. She would not be able to endure it. It would kill her to do it. It would stab her until her heart would refuse to beat any further. There was nothing. There was no hope. What was she going to do?

Then, she feels as a body instantly appears sprawled behind her and arms encase her and a voice whispers heatedly while spikey hair brushes against her forehead.

"This is _not_ good bye. I will not _let_ it be good bye. I shall never, _ever_ say good bye."

The words are spoken fiercely and she cries out in her shock as she pushes against his chest so as to look up at his face.

"Noc...?" she starts to ask but cannot. She is too choked for words. For surely this is an illusion.

One arm pulls her against his chest and a hand catches her face and wipes her tears away so she can see. She cannot even believe what she sees when her eyes have cleared. He does not give her time before he's kissing her all over her face. His lips press urgently against her forehead, her nose, each of her cheeks, her tear filled eyes, her chin before he pulls her to him again in a fierce embrace.

"I am sorry. Please, please forgive me," he says as he rocks them both. "I did not want to do it. I did not want to make you feel rejected. Forgive me _please_, Bright Star." He kisses her forehead tightly as if to punctuate his pleas.

She cannot speak. Her words are stuck in her throat as she continues to sob. She can only make these desperate sounds as she sobs into the dress shirt that he had still not changed out of. The roar of the waves before them jumbles the rest of the words that are coming out of his mouth. At least, that is why she thinks she cannot make out the words that are coming from him. It is only until she looks up into his face that she realizes that his lips were not moving anymore. The jumble of words was coming through the connection that was there again. The connection that bound them and made them whole. She was whole again, completely so and it was such a joy to have it again. It overwhelms her a moment as she savors the fullness, but with her joy came her anger.

With two small fists she pounds on his chest, twice and glares angrily up at him. She does not expect the small almost bitter smile that appears on his lips and it almost makes her forget to be angry.

"Hit me. _Strike_ me all you like. I deserve it," he grants. "The pain would be so much sweeter than the ache I have felt this whole long month without you."

She feels some of her anger deflate at his words. There is comfort in knowing that he had been just as miserable as she. Maybe even moreso than she and she wonders if such a thing were possible.

"Why did you do it?" she cries as she hit him again. "Was it a test?"

"No, no," he vows as he makes no attempt to block her blows. He merely pulls her into his arms again and buries his nose in her neck to inhale her scent. "It is me. I am being tested."

"By who?" she asks and after a show of struggle relaxes enough to enjoy how his breath tickles her neck. She feels his arms tighten in response before he answers in a whisper.

"Etro."

She can feel the shiver from the mention of the name. "What does the goddess have to do with us?"

His lifts his head and red eyes burn into hers. "Everything."

She squints at him until she understands. Until she remembers what he has told her about the events that transpired between him and the goddess when she had died and he had been gifted. She had been part of that gift or so they had both thought. As she looks at his grim face she sees why now. It is so twisted that there is no way that he could make it up. This was Noctis. He did not make such things up.

"She, she threatened you?" she asks and she can feel her anger rise.

"Separation from you or your life is taken back."

"What? Why would she give you such an ultimatum?"

He almost looks as confused as she does when he answers. "She is jealous."

"Wah... what? Jealous? Of us?"

He nods.

She tilts her head to look at him but her hands stay on his chest to keep in contact with him.

"She has wanted you all your life. She..." and the answer is so obvious and so preposterous that she cannot even believe she is about to say it. "She does not want anyone else to have you."

"Yes," he says.

"And she thinks you are already taken?"

"I _am_ already taken," he says bringing his face closer to hers. "You have me already, Stella. All of me. Everything I am is yours because I love you. I love you, Stella and there will never be another I want as much as I want you."

The vehemence and intensity in his voice makes her own falter and she does not know what to say. She cannot even think, but she reacts. She reacts by tugging the hair on the back of his head to pull his lips to hers and kisses him with all the pent up longing and hurt that she has suffered. He reacts by scooting closer to her before bringing one hand up to press against the small of her back to lift her higher to his lips to deepen their kiss. His other hand buries itself within her hair as the kiss lasts and lasts. That is, until they hear a cleared throat and he is forced to separate his lips from hers. He does not withdraw far though and she can still feel his breathe upon her lips.

She wonders just how distracted and out of herself she had been that she had not noticed all the bodies that were standing a respectable distance away. She hides her face in Noctis' collar in her embarrassment at having an audience to their lovely interlude.

"No worries, Stell. We weren't looking the whole time," says Des.

Vires smacks him in the back of the head.

"We weren't. You were." corrects Sapien with a roll of his eyes.

"I couldn't hear everything over the waves!" protests Des, completely unrepentant about watching.

"He was being very foolish, was he not, Stella?" asked little Mira with a warm smile and Stella wondered why her rune was activated.

She cannot believe that she had not noticed the purple light. Then realizes that the purple light was coming from another source behind her too. She manages to turn half way in Noctis' arms to see Vitrum and his rune is on as well. They were all surrounded by purple light and she had not even noticed before now. She can feel the embarrassment at having been so thoroughly distracted in her grief and in the intensity of the moment with Noctis. Until she remembered that Noctis was not one for such open, unabashed displays of affection either and he had known of the audience they had, had.

As if to answer her, she hears, "This was all Noctis' doing," explains Vitrum as if embarrassed to be an audience to what they have seen and she is sure that he is blushing.

"What is going on?" she asks as she looks at Noctis.

"The whispers, Stella," he says.

"They are gone," she says confused.

"They were," he nods. "Etro blocked them from interfering, but they can break through her shield and speak to us."

"What did He say?"

"He is not happy to be blocked," he explains. "He has told me a way to go around Etro's detection."

Her eyes went to the purple flashes of Mira and Vitrum.

"When you left me earlier I... I thought I was...I could not…" he does not finish his thought and she knows it is because they are not alone. She runs a hand along his cheek to show him that she understands. "Then I heard the whispers again and I knew. He made me realize what I could do. So I teleported to them," he says looking to his brothers.

"Dragged us out of our beds," complains Des and Stella can feel her smile returning.

"Caught us just before we made it to ours," reassures Vitrum.

"I would have come anyway," confesses Mira with a kind smile.

"I told them why," says Noctis and he looks almost sheepish.

She has an irrational urge to kiss his cheeks. She thinks she would have if she had not realized what was going on. Why they were all there. Why he could come to her now when he could not before. Mira and Vitrum. Their combined powers formed a protective shield. They were the only two that could successfully create a dome of complete protection. But it was only possible when the both of them were together.

"Your shield not only protects, it can block Etro from seeing?" she asks amazed.

"He said it might work," answers Mira, looking at Noctis.

"Made sense considering you become invisible while inside the shield," explains Sapien.

"The whispers confirmed it," finishes Noctis.

That knowledge saddens her and she slouches her shoulders to lean her forehead against his shoulder.

"So that means, that whenever we wish to see each other we need both Vitrum and Mira to block Etro from seeing us."

She can feel his answering nod more than she can see. He runs a hand through her hair to tell her that it bothers him too.

"There is not much time," reminds Sapien. "There is only so long before Etro will look upon us and wonder where we all have gone."

"But us all gone together won't look as suspicious as just Noct and you," explains Des.

She raises her head to smile at Noctis. "You are a genius."

He does not smirk back. He looks guilty instead. "I should have thought of another way. I should have realized this sooner."

"Stop that," she admonishes. "You _are_ a genius."

He manages a small smirk and it's enough of her Noctis that she smiles back.

"Everyone turn their heads please," he says. "Especially you, Des. I want a moment alone with Stella."

"Hey! That's no fun!"

"Turn around," growls Vires and she knows that he physically pushes his friend to do so as Noctis looks down at her again.

"Forgive me, Bright Star," he says again. "I never wanted to hurt you."

Her heart is so full now but she can still feel the sting of it being broken. "Promise me that I can beat you soundly when this is all over."

It's a full smirk in answer this time.

She savors it a moment before she lets herself be sad again. "How shall I deal with being away from you when I know now?" she asks as her eyes follow the lines of his face in longing. "How can I separate myself when I finally know that you love me?"

"It is my fault you were so unsure. I was being... slow."

She smiles and he grins back.

"The connection is open," he says as he lightly taps her forehead with his finger. "I shall never push you out again."

"I must go on pretending I am miserable," she sighs. "That shall not be hard."

He smiles because he knows what she means. "If Etro should ever probe your mind, you will feel her presence," he explains. "You will know. You remember how to block your mind?"

She nods. "But what about them?" she asks.

"She will not bother," he says with a shake. "They know not to let on that they know so there is no reason for her to. Besides, their nagging does not stop with anything I tell them."

She reflects his knowing look.

"I love you, Bright Star," he says as he kisses her. "Never ever doubt that again."

"Never. I shall never doubt again," she says before she pulls him down for another thorough kiss. It is only that they must, that they stop and she is breathless as she looks at him. "I love you too, my Dark King."

He smiles at her as he leans to press their foreheads together again. Their breathes mingle for a short moment as they revel in their reunion and these last moments together. She can see the strain and want on his face and knows that he does not want to go, but he must. They do not have time. Yet there is something that they must do before he does. She is sure of this even before she sees his red eyes reach down and linger on her scar. The guilt seems to have grown tenfold during their separation as she watches him stare down at it. She can see the question in his eyes when they look back up at hers and she nods, giving him permission. His lips thin in apprehension before he bends down to softly press his lips against her scarred flesh. She shows her acceptance by running her hands through his impossible hair.

The effect is immediate. She can feel her whole being sigh in relief. When he lifts his eyes to stare into hers again she knows that he can feel it too. She can feel the tension within him lessen as he lets out a sigh. They were back to stepping forward once again and they both began to feel the peace of it. The feel of an uncertain but brighter future.

"Forgive me for leaving you now," he apologizes as he drags his face up to look at hers.

She nods in understanding. "Go," she tells him.

When she blinks again, they are all gone with the essence of crystal and she's still sitting prone on the beach. Her hand reaches up to her face and sees that she has started to cry all over again. Only this time she is not crying from the pain of a broken heart, but one full and vengeful. She focuses on taking a few cleansing breathes before her mind turns to the matters at hand.

How dare the goddess do this?

As she continues to sit there and watch the surf, she feels so lightheaded. Etro was jealous of her. A goddess was jealous of her because she had something that the goddess could never have. She had Noctis. She had Noctis in so complete a sense that she saw fit to threaten him with the only thing she had within her power. Only because she could not stop him any other way. Using the very thing that held her jealousy to give him both utter misery and loneliness in return. She felt so empowered and so indignant at this knowledge. This was not the way it should be. Etro had no right to intervene in their lives like this. You could not take back a gift once it had been given. Even gods were bound by rules. This was breaking them.

Most importantly, he loved her. Noctis loved her. Though she had known this, for she had felt it whenever she was close to him, it made all the difference that he had said it. That he had declared those words aloud made such a profound difference to just knowing. Just knowing left room for doubts. Declaring it made it all so clear, with no room for doubts. She could not doubt him now and she would not doubt him again. Not in this. She could allow herself to doubt everything else, but not him and not whether he did love because he did. That thought was reassuring as it was final.

Suddenly, she is immediately seized with an almost unnatural chill through her body. The refreshing sea breeze and the sound of the waves all began to seem muted. The very air seemed dead and the life seemed choked out of everything around her. She finds that she has felt this presence before and had never put two and two together. Until now.

Etro.

Her mind registers this change and quickly, she makes herself think back to the tragic encounter from earlier. Her mind supplies the image of that other Noctis as he stood silently before her as she all but begs him to say something to take her back. Demanding an explanation from him and yet he had remained ever stoic and unreadable. She makes herself feel that despair again because she must and its still so fresh in her mind that it is not hard for her to react in the same way. She focuses on that pain as her wet eyes continued to stare blanking at the water.

When the presence is gone, she feels the life around her immediately flare back to their full glory and she can breathe again. She breathes in and out quickly as she wonders if this was what Noctis felt all the time. What exactly had he been enduring all this time? She had felt a glimpse of that before, last night. So it had been Etro who had stolen into her chambers to take Noctis' jacket. She had also felt it immensely that day she realized her father was the head of the Mysterium. That arm. Etro's severed arm on an altar with her father and men circled around it. It had been disgusting and vile. That had been such an awful day and she had been to preoccupied at the time to place the feeling for what it was. It had been Etro's presence she had felt all along. To think that Noctis had to face this darkness all his life, this death and even moreso these past few weeks. She could not even imagine it.

Her brave, beautiful Noctis had endured so much and he had to endure yet more and more. She felt the broken, yet renewed heart of hers break all over again for him. Her temporary fear for Etro was replaced with a fierce protectiveness of the man she loved. That he had done all this on purpose to keep her safe. She had known that there must have been a very good reason for him to change so drastically. It had literally been overnight and she thinks back and knows that it must have been after that night in Nihilsomno, before they flown out to Fulgur's home of Ventosus. After that wonderful night together. She wonders what he must have been thinking that night that had been so poignant that Etro had found it necessary to finally try and pull them apart.

How alone he must have felt. She knows that he has always felt alone but that he had always found solace within the company of his brothers and she sees now that he had, had to distance himself from them as well. How that must have hurt him. That he could not tell them as he could not tell her for fear that Etro would find out and take her away. How helpless he must have felt. There had been no option and it stunned her that the whispers had been cut off from him too. She had thought that he had been responsible for that, but it had not been him at all. He had not even had the comfort of His whispers either to guide him through all this. He had been cut off and isolated completely.

She knows she had not helped and she feel so much guilt for putting him through that. For she had not made it easy for him. She had tried everything she could to try and get him to open up and tell her. All that time, all those chances and the things that he had said all made sense. That he did not want to be friends. How she misread him! It was just as Des had said, that of course he had not wanted to be friends. He wanted to be more than just friends. His carefully worded statements had been clues in and of themselves and she had been too consumed with his rejection to notice them. He had been giving her clues all this time. Even the jacket had been a clue! She had not entirely misread that one but she had taken it the wrong way. It had fueled her to tempt him more.

Then she feels the shame. She recalls those words she said to him earlier, back on the stern of the ship.

_It does not even seem to matter to you that you are killing me all over again._

No wonder he had snapped. That had been the breaking point to the tension she had felt mounting the whole month and especially this past week. How those words must have stung him! She feels her heart call out to him to cry for his forgiveness at her careless words. She had not even stopped there. There was the good bye. The good bye that had sent him over the edge and broken through. It had hurt him more than it had hurt her and of course it would. Noctis who felt things so much more intensely than anyone else. Of course his pain was more magnified than hers. Yet she cannot feel entirely sorry for that because it did break through to him. It had shaken him enough to realize what he could do. Yet, that did not take away her shame.

Getting up to stand, she knows she needs to make it back to her rooms to sleep. How was she ever going to sleep tonight from her excitement? She wanted to relive and cherish every little snippet of what had just occurred between herself and Noctis just now. She could feel herself glowing from the effect of it. A new day could not come fast enough. It would not be hard to look upon him with such misery and longing that it could be mistaken for heartbreak. This was all a test, she knows. A test to their integrity and their loyalty to each other. This was a fight. A fight as no other. They were going to wage war against a goddess and there was only a very slim chance that they would both get out of it unscathed. It had to be soon. She knows that they would not be able to keep the facade of forlorn lovers for too long. They would eventually slip and be exposed and they would have to prepare themselves. She just had to trust Noctis to think of something before they were revealed and they would display their utter rejection to the terms that Etro had forced upon them.

Living without Noctis was unacceptable and she would rather die a lonely and harsh death before having to live a life apart from him. There was just no way. It does not matter that he will not like that. That he would refuse to put her in such danger but it was not just about what he wanted. She wanted him and he wanted her and there was nothing that she would not risk to be with him. Whether that be at death or during life, it was with him. There was just no other way that it was meant to be.

* * *

End Notes: There is hope on the horizon. Right now, they only have a temporary solution and it will be a difficult road ahead. I hope you enjoyed!

Also a reminder that I do update my profile on a regular basis.. sometimes twice a day. Any requests would also be taken into consideration.


	12. Litoralis

A/N: I should have realized how long this would get considering this one is from Noctis' POV and he's very wordy and his emotions are a jumble right now. He does not get as metaphorical as he can get in this one because he is so on edge, but he does get broody. Tensions mount.

Litoralis is Latin for "seashore".

_**Litoralis**_

Self control. Restraint. Denial. Three things that he has known all his life. They have certainly never been easy but they have always been achievable. There had always been moments where his self control was not as strong. His self restraint not as tight. His denial not as determined. Times growing up when he felt so agitated and tested that he had forgotten himself and had done things that had been difficult to explain. He is just thankful that they had always been moments where he was able to defend and protect himself. It was hard to think that it had been less than a year since that day in his rooms, when he had been attacked and had been forced to show Aenigma what he could do. He is sure that if the man had lived, the sight of him like some dark avenging angel in the morning dawn would have stuck with him forever. There were stories now of that day from the servants who had witnessed it. What he had then perceived as exposing too much had helped in the reclaiming of his powers amongst his own people. When the people heard what he could do, their fear at losing their monarchy had abated. His people had gone through so much already and he was glad that they had been welcoming of his reign.

He does not like to be away from Nihilsomno. He does not like to be away from his people. He does not like being stuck in meetings all day, learning about the agriculture of a country surrounded by the ocean and consisted mostly of sand. What he does not like most of all is leaving this behind so that a golden man had ample opportunity to try and make a move on the woman he loved.

There had been many things that he had been willing sacrifice over the years. He had made it look as if he had been a self indulgent twit to his council men so that they would not think him a danger to their power. In turn he had given up a carefree life to push forward with the events of the Mysterium and find out the origins of his parents' deaths. He had always prepared himself to look like a fool. But there have been many things that he has never been willing to sacrifice. His brothers, Stella and his people. To lose any one of them were failures that would not be tolerated. Yet, he was failing so miserably with Stella. Losing her affected him more than losing the other two.

Stella who he had wanted to trade his life for. Stella who knew him and understood him better than anyone else. Stella who could never be replaced in his affections. So when she had said her good byes, that had been the last straw. He does not know what he would have been capable of doing if he had not had the temporary solution whispered to him by the voice that had finally returned. The despair that he had felt in her leaving him so absolutely would have taken any logical solution from his mind and he would most likely have done something completely irrational. It would not have mattered to him what happened to anyone else and he would have acted too impulsively. So, he is thankful. Thankful that the opportunity to act so irrationally had been taken from him. He was afraid of what he would have done in such a state.

It was a testament to how well his friends knew him, or well maybe Sapien first and then Vires and Des, that it had not taken them very long to understand what was going on. But first, he had gone to the twins. Vitrum and Mira had been given connecting rooms to remain close. So it lessened the amount of visits that he had to make. He had gone to Vitrum first.

"I need your help," he said.

The boy looked up at him in surprise but quickly nodded his assent. When he had turned around, Mira had already been standing behind him with a smile on her face. She activated her rune and in reaction so had Vitrum, covering the three of them in the purple light of their insignias.

"Are you finally finished acting so terribly to Stella?" she asked him.

"How did you know?"

She shook her head. "Of course I do not know the details," she explained. "But we see things that you older ones do not."

"You have not exactly been yourself with her since our last visit together," said Vitrum with a shrug. "Mira has been worried."

He smiles fondly as bends at the waist to look into her face. "I am sorry for that."

"You do not need to explain anything to us," added Mira. "It is to Stella and your companions that you must explain yourself to. For they have been suffering the most from your change."

He nodded, because he knows he has a lot of explaining to do to all four of them. As much as his impulses were telling him to rush to Stella first, he had to see his friends before he could see her.

"Are you ready?" he asked the two of them.

They nodded together and with a small amount of concentration, he had telelported all three of them into the rooms of his brothers.

It had not mattered that he had already known what to expect when he had gone to his friends at that time of night because it still made him smile when he saw the predictable sight. Sapien had been punching into his handheld while Vires had been getting ready to sleep. Des was propped in a lush chair with his head leaning all the way back. He had already been dozing and his mouth was wide open. That is before he jumped up and saw that he was surrounded by purple light and there were three more people in the room.

"What the... Noct?" he asked scratching his already messy hair. He would have said more but he realized Mira was one of the new comers. "Hiya twins!" he exclaimed before turning to look at Mira with a special grin. "Cutie pie, what are you doing still awake and with the grouch?" He jerked his thumb towards Noctis for emphasis.

He wanted to feel a little indignant that he was the pronounced grouch but knows that he deserves that. Mira giggles but does not answer. Sapien made his way to stand by her to gently pat her on the top of her head before giving her an affectionate smile of his own.

"Noct?" asked Sapien, as he turned his attention to him and he pushed his glasses further up his nose.

Vires had knelt down a little to say something quietly to Mira too before looking up at him in question.

"Etro," was all he said. For Sapien, he knew that would be enough. "It was Etro."

There is a quick moment where Sapien's eyes went wide before he saw his friend's mind start to piece everything together. He watched and waited as the frown formed on his face before his eyes looked between Vitrum and Mira and he knew that Sapien had already figured out what he was doing.

"Etro?" growled Vires and his scarred face had been a mixture of apprehension and agitation.

"Wait a minute, are you serious?" cried Des as he stood up from the chair. "Then why are you...?" Then he realized why Vitrum and Mira were standing there too and why he was surrounded by the purple light of their insignias. He looked between both of the twins twice before he looked at Noctis again. "This works?"

"Yes."

"Noct..." started Sapien.

"Not now," he said quickly. "We are going to see Stella." The urgency with which he had to see her was so intense that there was nothing that would stop him from going to her now.

"You should..." said Sapien.

He nodded. "I am going to beg if I have to."

"Groveling helps," offered Des.

He had nodded again to all of them and had quickly teleported the five of them to the sand. He had not needed to look for her. He could feel exactly where she was. When he had seen Stella sitting there, prone on the sand with her dress a tangle around her legs with the sounds of her sobs, he could do nothing else but collapse behind her and pull her into his arms.

Heated words that he meant with everything inside him and kisses that covered all over her face because he would not take advantage of her lips. Her lips were sacred and only by her bidding would he press his lips there again. So he kissed her forehead, her nose, each one of her cheeks, her eyes and her chin to show her how much he adored her. To press upon her just how much he had missed her light. That there would never be good bye for him. Good bye was not acceptable. They would never say good bye. Even death would not separate them, no matter what Etro had said.

When her hands strike him he feels her anger and thinks how much better it is to see that spark in her eyes than the death that had been there before. Anything to replace that lifeless look of emptiness that he had seen in the sea of her eyes. That same sea of blue that sparkled even further when she finally knew why he had done what he had to do. Those same eyes that finally understood the depth of his devotion and love for her. Her acceptance and her forgiveness humbled him and he wondered just who, between Etro and her, was the goddess and who was the woman.

The feel of those lips that he had missed. The smooth, soft texture that pressed against his were as powerful as they were gentle. They could weaken his knees and strengthen his very being all at once. He finds he cannot get close enough to her. Pressing her against himself as he had, there had still been too much room between them as he drank from her lips. It was a promise and a seal and a prayer. It was everything. It was an absolution. It had taken so much strength to part from her when Sapien cleared his throat to remind him that they did not have much time.

The corresponding blush that ran across her cheeks tempted him to kiss them in adoration and when she hid her face in his collar, he could do nothing else but run his hand along the small of her back to soothe her. He watched in utter enchantment and amusement as everything dawned on her. The spark of anger had turned into the sparkle of wonderment and he felt as if he does not deserve her.

To feel her again. Her presence within his heart and mind. To be within hers again was something that he was willing to do anything within his power to never lose again. It was like coming home after being away for so long. It was comforting as it was welcoming. So he told her what he needed to say before it was too late. That he loved her. That he was hers to do with as she would. That he belonged to her and all he wanted was her and her alone.

Leaving her after finally resolving the rift and separation between them had not been easy. He had not wanted to leave her and he had struggled with it. He had caught a glimpse of her scar and his guilt had overwhelmed him once again. It made his guilt weigh more heavily upon him. He was the cause of all her grief and all her pain and he felt ashamed. It was with one look into her forgiving eyes and her nod of acceptance and he had leaned down to press his lips against it in obeisance. For it was indeed in worship to her, his own personal goddess of compassion and light. There is such power between the touch of his lips against her flesh that he felt it as it pulsed all through his body. It was and is a powerful thing and he had felt renewed, rejuvenated. He had felt that he had indeed come home.

_Never again shall I doubt you, my Dark King._

He hears her voice in his head and his eyes close to savor the feeling of closeness that has returned.

"Noctis?"

The voice breaks his contented thoughts and he looks down at the owner. "Sorry little one," he says smiling down at her pouting face.

"Are you going to be all right?" she asks and he smiles at what she is referring to.

"I shall have to make due," he answers diplomatically.

"I wish we could stay with you another week," she says.

He finds it so endearing that one so young was willing to do so much for him. It was he who should be the one offering aid. "This is my burden to bear. I shall be fine little one," he says as he tries to smile reassuringly. "Do you have enough of a supply of the sweets for your journey home?" he asks eying the many she is carrying in her hands.

"Until Vitrum eats them all," she says with a small huff but her smile gives her away.

"Thank you little one," he says as he pats her head.

She gives him a grin.

"There she is!" cries Des just behind him. "Cutie pie, you weren't going to say good bye to your big brother, Des before you left?"

He can see the smile spread all over Mira's face as she runs to give Des a hug. Even though she's not as little as they treat her, Des manages to pick her up as if she is.

"Put her down before you drop her," hisses Vires beside Des, but his eyes are smiling as he regards Mira.

"Do I get a kiss good bye?" Des asks a giggling Mira.

"Don't push it you," warns Vires.

Noctis tries not to laugh as he makes his way towards the other Crystal Bearers. They are all getting ready to depart on their own airships. Servants and ladies in waiting were scurrying this way and that and their movements were loud. The majority of the luggage seemed to be for Procella and he does not even want to think about what she needs them all for. He spies Fulgur, who looks as if he is already able to leave. Quick as lightning as always.

"Are you off then?" he asks as Fulgur turns to look at him.

"Yes," is the reply.

"Safe travels."

Fulgur nods as they both watch the flurry of activity before them.

"I know it is not my place to say this," the taller man says with a slight clearing of his throat. "But I wish you would desist from your abominable treatment of Stella."

"You and everyone else," he says evenly. "You really do not seem to be a man who gets involved with that sort of thing."

"Usually, no," Fulgur answers. "But your union keeps the rest at ease. This separation has only confused the rest of us and our precarious unity is being defused."

Noctis frowns at the other man.

Fulgur shakes his head. "It may never have occurred to you before, but you and Stella are the foundation of which the rest of us have laid our walls. Once that foundation is broken, the walls shall all crumble with it."

He can see that the other man is not exactly resentful nor completely happy with this knowledge, but he has accepted it, it seems. It makes him feel even more guilty. He had not even considered what the others had been feeling, nor thinking. It seemed all of them had seen this and were not completely comfortable enough to tell him their concerns. He had always felt that he and Stella were stronger together and it would effect the others but not to that extent. The foundation of their walls?

"So I must say this," continues Fulgur. "You and Stella must mend your relationship before our kingdoms get crushed under the opposition that is sure to come."

It takes him a moment to consider that. He has already accepted that Stella meant everything, but to know that the others relied so heavily upon them being together was almost unfathomable. This meant that their union meant more than just his own longings. Others were depending on it too. So it had to work. He had to make sure that it worked. It fit with how he felt. Stella belonged with him as much as he belonged with her.

"I am thankful for your words," replies Noctis.

Fulgur gives him a critical eye before nodding and looking out over the busy servants again.

"Who are you waiting for?" he asks the taller man.

"Someone who is not coming," he replies carefully. Noctis can tell the man is hiding his real feelings as he gives him another nod and turns to swiftly board his airship.

As he watches the stiffness and the careful avoidance of outward emotion, he realizes that there are many things that he has been missing. Too distracted with his own thoughts and problems that he had not even taken note of what was going on around him. Of the relationships that were forming amongst the others. He knows that for the most part, they all got along. Team work was becoming easier as they worked on it together. Things had definitely been tense at the beginning of the week after he had not so compassionately beaten Sol into a bloody pulp. The tension had eased with this week. He has a sense of satisfaction whenever he sees the scar he had given the other man just below his hairline.

It is less than an hour later and everyone else has gone. The air around the large palace was subdued now with the absence of so many people and their own things were being gathered to move to the private estate of their sunny host. Their host, who was did everything with a flourish and to the excess. There were no doubts in his mind that the other man had every intention of trying to make a go at Stella during this week, his own presence here or not.

"Shall we?" asks Sol, but it is clear that he is only talking to Stella.

She looks a little sheepish as she nods her head and he cannot help the feeling of jealous that sparks within him.

"Good," says Sol as he turns to grin at Noctis. Then he looks at Astra. "Would you like to go by boat or car?"

"Whatever's the fastest," states Des with a frown on his face.

"Boat it is," grins Sol as he offers Stella his arm.

He can do nothing but watch as Stella takes his arm and he is about to follow right behind the pair when Sapien elbows him. His eyes meet his friend's before Sapien pointedly looks at Astra.

"Shall I escort you, Astra?" he asks smoothly.

"Thank you, Noctis," she replies with a bright, surprised smile. He manages a wane smile back before leading her to the boats. His friends trail along behind him.

The boat is an excellent piece of machinery. It even impresses Sapien as they all board the massive hull. They wait as the servants settle their luggage into the appropriate carrier before Sol, with a wave and flurry, started the engine and races them away to wherever his house actually was. It is not long before he motions for Stella to join him at the helm and it's all he can do to not say something. She looks like she wants to refuse but there is a curiosity in her eyes that compels her to accept. He cannot blame her but he does not like it either.

"Overdoing it much?" asks Sapien with a roll of his eyes. He is typing something into his heldheld as he always is.

"Pretty boy," grumbled Vires as he too, turned away to look at the views.

He does not appreciate the smug look of triumph that Sol sends him as the sunny man leans in closer to Stella, who is holding onto the wheel. If the other man so much as _tries_ to touch her inappropriately he should not be responsible for what he does to him. He does not pay much attention when he sees that Des and Vires had decided to keep Astra company as Sapien stays dutifully by his side. It is not enough to distract him. His thoughts are too busy thinking of ways he can get back at Sol for this deliberate show of dominance.

"Don't do it," warns Sapien as he reads something from his handheld.

"Do what?" he tries to ask innocently.

"He's doing it on purpose," is the reply.

"What do you mean?"

"Egging you on so you'll do something stupid."

"Am I that obvious?" he asks as he leans back a little, but he does not take his eyes away from the pair.

"Yeah," Sapien's eyes never look up. "Your hand was twitching and I know what that means."

He allows himself a smirk.

"Was it a good idea to stay?" he asks him in a defeated sigh.

"Would you have rather gone home and not known?"

"No," he says a bit too harshly than he intends.

"Then it is a good idea to stay."

Noctis keeps his eyes on both of Sol's hands and watches with slanted eyes as one hand starts to slowly move towards Stella's thigh. He can feel his crystal energy being to flow and he's about to summon a small dagger to bash the hilt against Sol's head.

"Ow!" cries Sol as he clutches the back of his head in surprised pain. His head whirls around to see the red seashell as it bounces onto the deck at his feet and roll away.

"What is it? Are you all right?" asks Stella as she turns around to look up at Sol with confused eyes.

"Fine," he responds through gritted teeth. He turns to glare at Noctis while he scratches the back of his head.

Noctis does not hide the smirk that grows across his face as he leans further back into the plush lounge.

"Nice," he says. His red eyes watch as Stella carefully avoids looking at him before turning around again.

"You have us to do that," says Sapien as he continues reading.

"How many seashells do you have?"

"Enough," is the reply and he sees the same smirk creep onto his friend's face.

"Hey look, Astra. A seashell!" cries Des and he does not even notice the glare that Sol sends him as he reaches for it.

As Des brings it up to show Astra, Noctis can see that it is starting to flare with immense heat. Before Des can cry out from the pain of it he uses his powers to pull the now scorching shell out of his friend's hand. It hovers between him and Des a moment before his red eyes turn to glare at Sol. Sol who has an answering smirk on his face as the shell bursts into flames. Red slanted eyes dart sideways and the flaming shell flies just past Sol's ear, singeing the tips of his golden hair before darting into the water. Gold clashes with red as the two men glare at each other in a challenge. Unpredictably, Sol smiles as if in triumph and he makes him instantly suspicious.

"Wouldn't want another scar on that pretty face of yours," comments Sapien off handedly as he types another command into his handheld.

"Maybe," answers Sol with an easy smile. "But scars do give one a sense of character."

"Is that it?" asks Stella and everyone turns to her as she points to a grand beach house just coming into view.

"That it is. My own private residence," answers Sol as he smiles down at her surprised face.

While it was nothing like anything at Nihilsomno, he cannot help but think it was a place that he would like to have of his own. Only, he would not want his vacation home located on a beach. It was still nice. A vacation house to spend away from the hectic schedule of his daily life. Sol's country seemed dedicated to relaxation and recreation whereas he was used to an overpopulated metropolis surrounded by the hustle and bustle. This was large as it was grand. Three stories with an open air roof made of glass with ceiling fans all around. Everything seemed so open and spacious.

A large wooden deck with an elaborate fire pit was surrounded by a mosaic depicting the sun and the beach during high noon. Plush, rich couches surrounded the pit as fire torches lined the outer areas for warm nights spent outside. Inside, the wide living room had high cushioned sectionals seated in front of an impressive entertainment system. All the furniture was made of glass or driftwood. Nothing was dark and definitely not black and he felt like a stain within this golden house of light.

Without meaning to, his eyes look to Stella to watch her reaction and his heart sinks a little at the look of pure wonder and approval in her eyes. Her and Astra look eager to explore the entire residence and it makes him feel almost inadequate. He did not match this environment that seems so pleasing to her. It perfectly suited her host and he wonders how pleasing she finds the sunny man.

"Would you like a tour?" asks Sol with a silky voice that he does not appreciate.

"Yes," says Astra eagerly as she smiles easily back at him.

"Let me show you to your rooms first," he says motioning to the first staircase and they all follow along behind him.

The women marvel while the men of Nihilsomno walk quietly behind.

"How much you wanna bet he gives Stella the room next to his?" whispers Des.

He feels himself go rigid at the thought that only a wall would separate them at night.

"Not helping," grunts Vires, but he can tell that his friend thinks that is the plan too. He does not even have to look at Sapien to know that he agreed.

Once they reach the first landing, they turn to make their way up the second staircase to the top floor.

"The ladies will be having the rooms with the best views," states Sol as he leads them to a pair of double doors. "Stella, this will be your room." He pauses for dramatic effect that has Noctis wanting to roll his eyes, before he turns and opens the doors dramatically.

Noctis' eyes do not leave Stella's as they widen in shock and delight as she steps into the room. Of course he had given her the best. High vaulted ceilings with lotus leaved fans with sliding panels to allow the moon to beam down to the biggest bed he has ever seen. The bed was a light driftwood with crisp white linen sheets. Thin curtains that did little else than soften the rays of the powerful sun. The balcony doors had already been left open to show a swinging chaise to ride upon as one looked out over the water. He did not even want to look in the bathroom.

"This is the master suite," Stella says hesitantly. She looked up at Sol with disbelieving eyes. "You are letting me stay in your room?"

"You are the guest of honor, Stella," smiles Sol as he regards her warmly. "What kind of host would I be if I did not give you the best there was to offer?"

"Where are you sleeping?" blurts out Des.

"That depends," he answers and he turns to regard him with a cocked eyebrow.

Noctis can feel the blood boil in his veins and he is barely aware that his eye was beginning to glow.

"On what?" demands Des.

"On Noctis, of course," Sol responds with a knowing grin.

He glares while the other man smiles. He knows what he is trying to say.

"I really could not impose, Sol. Really," says Stella as the two men continue to battle with their eyes.

"I insist," answers Sol as he turns away from Noctis to stare at Stella. "You are here only a week."

"Where is Astra going to sleep?" asks Vires.

"Right next door, of course," answers Sol easily. "Noctis will be in the room right below this one if that is where he wants to stay. I would stay there myself but I think he would enjoy that location." He looks absolutely smug as he turns to his friends. "The rest of you can pick any room upon the second floor."

Sol wanted him just below Stella, to be tortured by the sounds of her foot falls at night when he cannot come to her. The sunny bastard.

"I will be just across the way from the ladies," informs Sol. "Just in case they need anything."

"Mr. Helpful," mutters Sapien dryly.

"I think we men should leave you ladies to freshen up," announces Sol. "It is already the afternoon hour and dinner is to be served soon. I have an excellent meal being prepared to welcome you formally to my home. No need for elegant attire. I am sure a nice sundress would make you feel more comfortable." He turned to Noctis and his friends. "Something not black would be nice."

"Well we can't all look good in orange speedos," comments Des.

It takes every bit of self control he possesses not to laugh, but his other two friends do not fair so well. They both burst out in coughs at the same time.

"Dark gray good enough?" he asks smartly and it's enough to distract Sol from glaring at his friends.

Sol turns to give him a disapproving look before he responds. "I am sure that will be fine. Though such colors are not what we wear on the beach."

He is tempted to tell him where he can shove that.

The night is spent outside to enjoy the warm evening under the moon and stars. It is still not full but it is a cresent shape now. The dinner table is littered with elegant dishes that he has no idea of. He does not even really taste the food that passes in front of him as Sol makes a concerted effort to flirt shamelessly with Stella. He is sitting at the foot of the table, while Sol sits at the head with Stella at his side. He thinks, not for the first time, just how wrong it looks to have her sit so close to the sunny man. He is golden whereas she is luminescent. The colors clashed instead of combining. Sol already had an inner light while Noctis only had her.

They end the night sitting around the fire as Sol regals them with tall tales of his country. Which leads to Des sharing a couple misadventures that he cannot help but smile in remembrance of and he and the other two are joining in to share their details of the stories. Astra, who seems to have grown less shy, shared a few stories from her country. He tries to listen as much as he can but he finds his attention mainly on Stella. Stella who smiles and laughs and talks in so animated and lively a fashion, that he can only sit and stare at her with adoring eyes. The mood is light while still a little tense as he is forced to only sit across from her and it is not close enough. To watch as the sparks from the fire crackle between them is almost like torture. As much as he loves to look upon her, it is not enough when he cannot be close to her. It is becoming even harder to pretend that things were still not good between them.

He found he needed more reassurances now that he had confessed what had been really going on and expressed the extent of his feelings for her. He knew that Stella loved him, but he was still unsure about how she felt about Sol. Her dreams of the sunny man created paranoias within himself that he had not known he had. Sol was just so different from himself. He was dark and night. Sol was golden and day. There was no real comparison between the two when they contrasted so completely. No matter that Stella did not seem to fit with his rival. It all depended on what she felt. If she wanted a hopeful and a brighter future, she would pick Sol. There were no barriers between them. There would be nothing stopping him from loving her as fully as she deserved. If she were to pick himself, their happiness would be short lived with Etro's threat. He could not offer her the happy ending that any girl would dream of. He could only offer her misery and despair and death. It made him feel even more inadequate and unsuitable.

It is those dark thoughts that accompany him as he bids everyone a good night and walks into his rooms. Of course Sol would give him a room painted all in yellow to make it look even more bright. Fully tormenting him in every way possible. There could not have been a more unfitting room for him had he tried. To think that he would be able to hear Stella walk about her room and he could do nothing but listen made him feel so very alone. They have started to mend their wounds, but they were far from healed. They had a barrier. A barrier he had no idea how he was going to permanently breach. They only had the temporary solution of Mira and Vitrum, but with the twins gone, there was not even that option. They could not have a moment alone and he found he needed those moments now more than ever. All those moments that he had tried to take advantage of had never been enough were certainly not enough now. He does not think there will ever be enough moments spent with Stella. He needed her more and more and there were none that he could give her. He curses Etro yet again. She was taking something else that he wanted. Always taking the ones that he loved. Always preventing what would make him happy.

The knock on his door diverts his attention but he still the resentment and the helplessness remains. The helplessness irks at him because he hates to feel that way. There is a grim expression on his face as he opens the door.

He is greeted by the loveliest sight he could ever imagine seeing and his relief is palpable.

"Stella," he and it sounds very much like a caress.

"May I come in?" she asks. There is a stubborn expression on her face that confuses him.

He does not say anything but moves aside to allow her to come in.

As he watches her make her way inside, he has a dawning sense of deja vu. He does not even think he has gotten over that last time and does not relish reliving that.

"Was there something that you needed?" he asks.

She turns around quickly to stare at him. She still has that stubborn look on her face.

"Yes, there is something that I need back from you?"

"Back?" he asks, because he has no idea what she means.

"A black leather jacket was stolen from my rooms and you are the last person who had it in their possession," she keeps her stern tone but he has to fight the knowing smirk that wants to cross his lips.

"Black jacket?"

"Yes," she says with a nod. "I want it back."

"But it is not technically yours."

"It is technically mine because it was given to me," she says. "Please return it or I shall be forced to look for it myself."

_I need to have something of yours,_ he hears her inner voice say.

He narrows his eyes at her as if to frown. _You already have every part of me._

She does not make any move to indicate she heard him but for the slight watering of her eyes.

"I may have left it back at the main resort."

"Then I shall look through your things," she announces as she makes her way to his closet, where his clothes had been neatly hung and organized.

He runs to stop her just as she reaches the doorway to the closet. Cutting her off so that she would have to crash into his chest, he takes advantage of her nearness and puts his arms around her waist. He looks down at her face and she looks as if she is just as torn as he is. Turning towards his hanging wardrobe, he spies his leather jacket and it flies into his free hand.

"Was this it?" he asks as he brings it up to show her.

She does not take it immediately and she has not stepped away from him either. Her eyes stare at the jacket in his hands before they reach his. He offers it to her and it is a moment more before she reaches for it. She makes sure that her hand brushes his before she grasps it firmly and pulls it away from his grip.

"That is all. Good night, Lord Noctis," she says abruptly as she makes her way to leave. _Good night, my Dark King._

"Good night, Lady Stella," he replies as he follows her to the door. _Good night, Bright Star._

He watches as she makes her way to the staircase. She does not notice, but he spies Sol leaning against the railing and watching them with an unreadable expression on his face. He knows that the other man recognizes the jacket that she holds in her hand as they both stare at each other in challenge. His eyes seem to glow a deep red in the darkness before he steps back to shut the door. He waits a moment before he can hear and feel that Stella has made it to her rooms before he can breathe a sigh of relief. He half expects Etro to appear to continue her taunt of him but she does not come. Though not entirely strange, he had been sure that she would not pass up such an opportunity to throw this in his face. This rivalry that had formed and her lack of an appearance unsettled him more than her presence could have.

_You must be careful._

He does not sleep well that night and his dreams are filled with nightmares of Stella and Sol and Etro and death. There is no reprieve because he does not even wake from them. He remains trapped within them and must endure the sights that he is forced to see. The life Stella could live without him and it had been so much brighter, so much happier than the life that she would have with him. He only offered death and what kind of a gift was death to someone you wanted so desperately to live?

The next morning, they are all seated around a table in a cheerful breakfast room and he is feeling anything but cheerful. Again, he is seated at the foot of the table with Sol directly opposite him at the head. It is only a small comfort that Stella had chosen a seat further away from the sunny man and has Astra between seated between them.

"Did everyone sleep well last night?" asks Sol politely as he sips his coffee.

Both his and Sol's eyes look at Stella while everyone else answers.

"I have never slept in a bed so big," she says honestly, but she does not look disapproving.

"It was a little drafty last night, were you cold?" asks Sol.

"No, I was fine," she says looking sheepish. _I had something to keep me warm._

He feels warm just thinking about it and as irrational and ridiculous as it sounds, it makes him feel better that she found sleep easier with something that had been his. He knows that his smirk does not go unnoticed by the man across from him.

Sol looks at him and for a moment it looks like he knows what she means, but he merely smiles again. "Well, what should we do first?" he asks but it's clear that he's really only asking Stella.

Stella has a mischievous smile on her face that makes him feel both a contradicting mix of cautious and hopeful.

"I would like to go parasailing," she says.

From the knowing smile that crosses Sol's face, he knows that he will be the one strapping himself behind her when she does. There was no way that he was letting that man paw all over her while flying through the air.

"That sounds like an excellent idea," he says, speaking for the first time. He looks at Sol with a smirk. "Since you are the only one who can drive the boat safely, it looks like it will be me that makes sure that Stella stays safe."

Sol's smile falters with this logic and it makes his smile widen even further.

It is an hour later that finds them all outside in the bright noon sun. Stella is firmly strapped to his front and everyone else has stepped back on the pier so they can sail away. Sol is at the wheel and Noctis allows himself a smug look. He leans in to brush his lips against Stella's ear.

"Are you ready?"

"Yes," she breathes out and it's all he can do to not at least brush his hand against hers. Yet all he is able to do is inhale the scent of her hair as he keeps his mouth close to her ear a moment longer than necessary.

_I wish I could touch you too._ She responds to his quiet thoughts but she does not turn around to look at him.

They shoot up and there is nothing that compares to the feeling of weightlessness that washes over them as they lift up from the pull of the speeding boat below them. They gain height and the sea breeze blows Stella's hair into his face and he feels almost content as he breathes in. He can hear her cry of excitement as they are lifted higher and can see the sights all around them. The water is so clear that you think you can almost see the bottom. He can make out sea creatures under the surface of the water as they swim along. Her arms reach up as she leans her head back a little to enjoy the breeze. He can see the way her neck arches and he closes his eyes before he can be tempted to press his lips there.

"Amazing," he hears her say.

He opens his eyes to regard her. "Yes, it is," he says but he is not talking about the view as he stares at the back of her blonde head. His hands unconsciously lower to her waist and squeeze so she understands what he means.

Sol allows them to ride for a few more precious moments before he signals for Noctis to be ready for descent. When they land safely, it is Astra's turn with Sapien and he decides he would rather watch from the small dock with Des and Vires. Stella rides with Sol and he fails miserably at trying to hide his disappointment. He pretends to watch attentively as Astra and Sapien are lifted into the air and are carried along. What he is really looking at is how close Sol is standing beside Stella.

"You guys are so fun to watch," comments Des as he sits sprawled with his feet dipping in the water.

"What do you mean?" he asks as he looks down at his friend.

"It's like a daily play of nonstop drama," he explains.

Vires, surprisingly, nods his head in agreement.

"What kind of drama?"

"You've probably been too distracted to notice," explains Des as he adjusts his sunglasses. "But your love triangle isn't the only love going on within your band of crystal junkies."

He frowns, but he cannot say he is entirely surprised by this bit of information. It was not his business to pry into the love lives of anyone. He had enough troubles with his own.

"Care to share your observations?" he asks watching his friend.

"Where do you want me to start?"

"Your favorite," states Vires. It is obvious that they have both spoken of these things before.

"You guys have a love rectangle going on, no wait, a love pentagon.. no maybe it's a hexagon..."

"Des," he says to get him back on track. He sits down next to him because he can already tell he is going to need to be. His own feet dip into the warm water as he continues to stare after the racing boat before them.

"Well anyway," continues Des. "You, Sol and Stella are the main ones. Then there's the Ice Queen that seems to have a thing for you and Sol."

"I have been told about Procella," he says quickly and he still feels unsettled just thinking about it.

"Oh so you're not totally clueless then," says Des approvingly. "Then you have Fulgur who is dead gone over Astra."

"Is that who he was waiting for yesterday?" he asks. He can remember the brief flash of disappointment in the other man's face before he had turned around so briskly to leave.

"I bet he was!" cries Des excitedly. "I wish I could have been there to see that! The man is so hard to read sometimes!"

"Does Astra return his affections?"

"She seems to be a fickle one, that Astra," he says. "But then again, so does the Ice Queeny. Sometimes I see Astra giving you the eye when she thinks I'm not looking. I've also seen her even look at Sapien that way."

"Sapien?" he asks in surprise as he looks at Des. He turns to watch as she and Sapien sail above the waters. "Does Sapien know?"

"If he'd ever get his head out of his handheld, maybe," says Des. "It's just a little disappointing that Tonitrus and Militis are already married. Can you imagine what it would be like if they were single too?"

"I don't know how you keep tabs on everyone as it is," comments Vires but the three them are interested despite themselves.

"Astra is subtle but then she could just be fickle," states Des. "It might be because she's not used to be around so many types of men. She doesn't seem to know which one she likes."

"We _are_ very different," says Noctis as he thinks about Sol and the differences between them. "I did not think there was such a shortage of men in Infervesco."

"None that would be considered eligible to someone as important as Astra. Now there is not just one, but several that she can pick from. Its like puberty has hit later in life."

"I really did not need to hear that," comments Noctis.

"Not sure I could blame her anyway."

"Why do you say that?" he asks looking at his friend confused. Inconstant people were people that he found very unfavorable to be around. A waste.

"You're a traveling group of Kings and half of you are unmarried. You don't think the ladies are falling over themselves trying to get you guys to notice them?"

"And Astra's already in the inner circle and all," adds Vires and it sounds like he's repeating what Des has already argued with him about.

"So she has to decide between Sapien and Fulgur?" he asks because Sol and himself were out of the question.

"Yep."

"Things will get complicated again once Vitrum and Mira get older," says Vires as he leans back on his well muscled arms.

"Mira is going to break lots of hearts," comments Des fondly. "She already does."

"She is only fourteen," states Noctis.

"She won't be forever," says Des as he smiles warmly. "She'll break mine when she finds that special guy some day."

Noctis and Vires smile with him because they are sure they would feel it too when little Mira grows up. They spent the rest of that afternoon in the sun and he tried to watch as detached as he could while Sol kept dutifully by Stella's side.

The following day and the day after that, were a mixture of activities and private meetings between him and Sol. Where their two sides had focused on the reunification of their kingdoms despite the major set back of their fight from the month before. Apparently, Sol's golden good looks were somewhat of a staple to their culture and the people as a majority had been shocked and outraged at the scar that seemed to mar his otherwise perfect complexion. He had only thought that such vanity had been Sol himself, but quickly realized that his people were just as vain. It shocked him to note that it was a cultural thing. It was their pride and he made a note to pay more attention to the common people as he mingled among them during this week. He had never thought that looks mattered that much to them as a culture. Nothing was mentioned about the rising tension between the two of them regarding Stella. It was business and he was relieved, at least, to be think about something other than that. He did not know what Stella and Astra did to fill those hours that they were to be holed up in meetings but he was sure they would make good use of their time.

On the fourth day of their visit, they had gone to the main Boardwalk to enjoy the rides and games while mingling amid the people. They had done this before, but he thinks that this time, he would be paying more attention to his surroundings. Try as he might, that did not work when he kept seeing how Sol would place his hand in the small of Stella's back as he walked beside her. Sapien walked beside him to the right and Vires was on his left while Des walked with Astra from behind. The things that Des had told him made him see Astra in a different light. He had never been especially fond of her before he was unsure he was anymore fond of her now. She had seemed too soft and too bendable to him. It was not just beauty that made a woman attractive to him and he wondered what Fulgur was like in his innermost self to crave someone like Astra.

In his life, he had not had much time for the opposite sex either. There was not much he could relate to a lady when he had, had so much to bear within himself. How could they have understood the things that he had forced to deal with on a daily basis? Understand the darkness that permeated his life? Pity had never been something that he had ever been willing to accept from anyone. His pride would not bear that from anyone and that is all they would have given him. Pity while seeking a thrill out of handling his darkness. How foolish. Like it was some sort of game. Then, in the end, they would have hated him for never giving them any priority in his life. His craving for physical pleasures had not been worth the emotional burden of forming such an attachment with any such lady within the courts. It had been hard to maintain the illusion of a playboy when he had no interest in chasing anything that wore a skirt. Des' words, not his own. In the end, those nights he would spend in the clubs were spent surrounded by women who flattered and batted their eyelashes in the VIP section as he feigned a little interest, but mostly indifference. He would allow them to sit close to him but at the end of the night, he would be alone in the hidden compartment above his rooms. It was far too dangerous to have someone lie next to him when he was sure to have a nightmare. Women had really not seemed worth all the trouble.

This always brings him into the inevitable reality of his current predicament. Living without Stella was not an option for him. Ever since he met her, he knew that their fates would forever be entwined. It had not mattered that he fought it as much as he could. He had finally found someone worth the trouble and would never pity, but understand. Better yet, could even relate to what he went through. Her effect on him had been relentless and all consuming. It was still all consuming because the majority of his thoughts revolved around her. Yet with this deep chasm between them, he can only allow himself to stare at her with longing. For it should be him that she walked beside on this cheerful summer day. Instead, he was only forced to watch as another man made such considerable efforts to win her. Try as he might, this was one fight that he did not think he could win. Not when he had a threat of a goddess against him.

What was more painful? That Stella knew how much he loved her but that he still had to let her go? Would it be more painful to assure her that his affections would never change, but let her walk into the safer arms of another? Maybe this is what Etro had meant all along. His feelings, his devotion, his unwavering affections could still not prevent her from ending up in Sol's arms.

_Now is not the time to lose faith._

He feels the chastisement and it is a comfort, even though it does not offer a solution. It is nothing but perfect timing when in that moment Stella turns around and smiles at him. That smile that reaches her eyes as it reaches the corners of her mouth and it makes him incapable of thinking anymore. That part of him that was always ready to be hopeful washed over him and he knew that despite the dangers and many obstacles, Stella loved him too. That would have to be enough, even though it was no where near it.

"I think I want to ride the Ferris Wheel," he hears Stella say to Sol.

The Ferris Wheel was larger than most. Not only was it taller, the seats were a little different. Instead of the two sitting side by side, they had to face each other as well as look out to the sights around them. Each pod was open to the elements and the rotation was slow enough so that it never had to stop moving while it loaded and unloaded passengers. Each couple was allowed 10 turns before they were encouraged to get off by the attendants.

Being the special party that they were, they did not have to wait in line and moved smoothly to the front while the surrounding crowds continued to gawk at them. He does not know how, but he ends up standing right behind Sol and Stella. As a pod approaches, Stella moves closer to the platform to enter. Des and Vires snatch each of Sol's arms to prevent him from following while Sapien pushes him forward. He does not waste any time following her into the pod before Sol can say anything. He feels a little nervous to see Stella's reaction to it being him with her in the pod and when she turns around to smile knowingly at him, he finds himself smirking back at her with ease. He helps her sit down carefully on her side across from him before he settles himself down to stare intently at her. The surrounding sights go unnoticed as he takes advantage of being alone with her.

Stella smiles sheepishly at him before trying to look out into the vast openness of the ocean.

_I miss you._ She sends to him.

He does not completely doubt her but he cannot help but feel a little of it with all the things that have been happening this week. Her lack of refusal to Sol's constant attentions had him on edge.

_I wish Sol would stop._

_He is enamored with you. _

She rolls her eyes at the statement. _He only thinks that he is._

_Can you really not see it?_

_His affections are shallow._

_No, they are not._

_He is only trying to bait you._

Red eyes never look away from her. _That is not his only intention._

Her blue eyes fly to his. _You do not think that I..._

_I would not blame you if you did._

_Stop that._

_Stop what?_

_Thinking I feel so little for you so you can go and brood about the impossibility of our being together._

His red eyes look startled as they look at the determined look on her face.

"I would appreciate if you would speak to me if you are so determined to stare," she says, but she sends. _There is nothing I would not risk to be with you. Life or death, it is with you. There is no other way that it was meant to be._

"What would you like me to say?" he asks as he feels like his heart is alive again.

"I did say that we could be comrades instead of lovers. That does not mean we cannot talk."

"Would you like me to ask how the economy of Telebrae is doing?"

She twists her lips in a show of annoyance and he cannot help the urge to kiss her. Her anger still fueled him, causing him to flush with appreciation. From the look on her face, it looks like he had broadcasted his thoughts.

"I am trying to be civil," she says. _My anger fuels you?_

_Yes. _"So am I." He can feel her confusion and then a flush creeps onto her face as she understands.

They do not say anything else for the rest of their turns. He stares at her as she stares back at him. There is so much tension between them that he feels like he is about to lose control of himself and take her in his arms. From the way her hands clench and she bites her lips he can tell that she feels it as acutely as he does. They were not going to be able to hide this much longer. So it is a little bit of a relief when the attendant announces that their turn on the ferris wheel is over. He helps Stella step off the platform and actually grins at the annoyed look on Sol's face before actually winking. The red tinge in the other man's cheeks helps to relieve the tension he felt between himself and Stella as his friends join him on the platform.

"Who did Astra ride with?" he asks Des in a low voice when they start to make their way to the gaming booths.

"Sapien," grins Des.

"So you rode with Vires?"

"Of course! Sol had to ride alone," his friend snickers. "Even though there had been plenty of volunteers from the ladies in line."

"How did it end up that Sapien rode with her?" he asks as he watches Sapien adjust his glasses again.

"She grabbed his arm," shrugs Des.

"Are you sure he does not realize her interest?"

"Sap may be a genius but he can be as blind as the next man."

Noctis turns to watch Sapien but his friend is talking to someone on his handheld, completely oblivious to anything.

"Am I that blind too?" he asks.

"Um, if their name is not Stella, than yes most of the time," answers Des.

He cannot even bristle at that because it was most likely true. He looks at Astra and she looks as happy as can be as she walks with Stella, arm in arm. Then he looks at Sapien again, who did not look any different than he usually did. So it was either that his friend was an exceptionally good actor or he really was not aware that Astra had such an interest in him.

"Do you think you should tell Sapien?" he asks.

"And ruin the surprise?" cries Des as if he's just suggested something sacrilegious. "His face will be priceless."

He knew Sapien as well as Des and yes, he can imagine his face would be somewhat priceless. What he worried about was Sapien's feelings. His friend had never expressed an interested in anyone before and he was not sure what he thought of Astra in general. To ask him would cause suspicion and he was not going to make it look like he was playing a matchmaker. Especially when he did not think the best of Astra himself.

"Des, what about you and Vires?" he asks.

"What about me and Vires?"

"Do you guys have an interest in anyone?"

"Thanks for the interest, Noct," grins Des as he smacks him in the arm. "You don't need to worry about our love lives. You've enough to deal with on your own."

"Still, I would like to know. I feel self centered for not bothering to ask."

"I've got enough on my plate and Vires here," he says elbowing his larger friend. "He doesn't fancy anyone just yet. Do you?"

"Would only get in the way of protecting you," says Vires and it surprises Noctis.

"Protecting me should not stop you," he says.

"All in good time, Noct," says Des with a wave of his hand. "Now, watch as I kick some Sol arse at this game."

It makes him turn his attention back to Stella, who has not made a move to stand near Sol. She looks as amused as he feels as Des challenges Sol to the games. He smirks the rest of the afternoon when he notices that Stella does not walk beside Sol again and remains beside Astra.

Despite everything, he does not regret staying this extra week. It had been a nuisance to conduct his affairs via video conference instead of in person but to spend this extra time to watch Stella was worth it. Even though he felt very tightly wound. The tension was continuing to mount between them though and without the constant distractions of Nihilsomno he found that his focus was entirely on it as it rose further and further. It had also given him more time to focus on his friends and the things that they had been noticing these past couple months. He was able to hear more insights from Des and Vires and he found most of them to be far too amusing. Sapien was himself and Noctis felt like an idiot when he realized that Sapien had noticed all the drama that had been unfolding around the other Crystal Bearers. He had confirmed all he had heard from Des. With the exception of his own involvement that is. It seemed he was not aware of Astra's interest in him. After observing how Sapien interacted with Astra, he could not discern whether there was a definite interest or not. Sapien treated her as he treated everyone else. He was attentive and courteous and just a touch flirtatious. It would be interesting to finally notice how Sapien interacted with Procella that would let him know for sure.

The rest of their days had been a little bit easier on his insecurities because Stella seemed to try to keep a respectable distance from Sol. Try, because Sol would not let her for long. His efforts were just short of relentless as the week was coming to a close. Which made his possessiveness for Stella thrive. He hoped that she did not dream of the sunny man while lying in his bed at night. He remembered all too well that she had already dreamed about the sunny man on more than one occasion. While it had only mildly disturbed and mainly embarrassed her, it had stung him a little to hear it. But he took comfort in the fact that his jacket was what she held when she was in slumber. Where he wished he could be if he were not so afraid of everything. His own nights were spent in quiet and his nightmares were tolerable though still dark and unforgettable.

Tonight, on their last night, Sol had ordered a huge celebration to be had in honor of their departure. Every dignitary and anyone of stature from Solis had been invited to come and the entire house was alight. Servants bustled about in a rush. Every light and every torch had been lit. Special tea lights had been brought in and lit and there seemed to be millions of them hanging outside. The moon was closer to full and shined down over the water. Plush cushions were scattered all along the sand for a just a little bit of privacy and tents were raised to accommodate all the extra people.

Soon the house is completely filled with people. It was almost immediate that he was all but run over by the many ladies that had been invited. He could not get away from them. While it had been amusing to see how much Des loved it, it did not last long. Obviously these women had been invited to keep some distance between himself and Stella. Which made him all the more suspicious of the intentions of the sunny man for the night. It caused a flare in his heart and a darkness within his body when he pictured just what the other man could be planning on this last night together. This last night to take advantage of the distance that he had been forced to keep from Stella. He would not let him. He would not let that orange speedo totting, golden prat succeed in whatever plan he had to try and lure his Bright Star from him. Yet, when he made excuses to one eager lady, another replaced her and he had to start all over again. There were so many that he could hardly move away. When it came time to make the official announcements of welcome, he had been standing the furthest away from where Sol was keeping Stella firmly at his side. She had looked uncomfortable and seemed to be searching for him.

_I am here, Bright Star._

_Where?_

_Surrounded by all the women._

He could hear the inner giggle as she finally caught sight of him and her eyes widened at the sheer amount of them around him.

_I always knew you had a way with the ladies_, she teased and despite the annoying situation, he smirked back at her. He is sure she can feel if she cannot see it from where she is standing.

_Too bad there is only one that I want. _He is sure that she can feel the heat in his gaze as he stares intently at her.

They are interrupted when all at once, everyone bursts out in a chatter of conversation. He allows himself a sigh before he tries to make his way through the sea of endless adoring faces.

"Vires!"

"Got it," is the reply. "All right ladies, give the man some room. We gotta get going here."

"Des!"

"Do we have to?"

"Des."

"Okay! Sorry ladies, but a man's gotta eat. Let's make some room here for King Noctis."

He feels like he is on parade as his friends start to part the crowds of admirers and he finally makes it outside. Most of the others are already seated and he spies his place at the foot of the main table.

"He's up to something," warns Sapien.

"When is he not?" he sighs as they both make their way over to their seats.

He spends the meal listening as those around him chatter nonsensically and joins in only when it is absolutely necessary. He keeps his head down while making sure to be aware of every move that Stella makes. Astra is seated beside her and he notices that she keeps making furtive glances at him and Sapien. It was the first time he actually notices her looking at him like that and even though he has already been told, it still surprises him. Had she really been so sheltered that she had no experience with men? While Procella's looks had always been almost predatory, there was an innocent sort of admiration in Astra's gaze. It is in this way that he thinks he can understand her usual timid nature, just a little. He spent the rest of the meal staring directly at Stella and noting every time Sol made an effort to caress her in some or another. Nothing too forward or too noticeable to someone who was not paying as much attention as he was. He can feel the tension and possessiveness burn inside him further. It was only the fact that Sol kept his hands above the table that saved them from being cut off by Noctis' favorite sword.

Given the sheer amount of people present, he is very surprised that dancing was part of the agenda. There was hardly room to stand and yet Sol had announced that music would be played and dancing was in order. The music is dark and passionate and it seems to perfectly match what he is feeling inside towards Stella. It fuels the need to be close to her as he is forced to watch from a distance as Sol presses her against him as he moves her in the dance. Sol's hands are holding her as if she belonged to him and it made him burn in fury. He is sure that his right eye is glowing. Her face is a mask of politeness but he can sense the tension in her as well. He watches as her eyes move across the sea of bodies and meet his. He can feel her words as much as he can hear her words in his head.

_I want it to be you that has me pressed against you._

He had not noticed that all the lights had started to flicker dangerously with his inner turmoil. He is barely aware that he has caused most of the hanging tealights to explode and the glass shatters all over the people around him. There are screams in reaction and the crowd start scattering in confusion. Nobody is running but there are so many people moving at once that it causes a panic. Many fall from all the sudden movements and there is a tumbling as others try to help and clean off the glass from others. It turns into utter chaos.

_You have a window open. Take it before Etro can see!_

He does not need to be told twice as he quickly teleports to where Stella is standing and teleports with her to the other side of the mansion. He does not even wait for her to realize what is happening before he has her pressed against the wall and himself as he kisses her thoroughly. He makes sure to press her against him tighter than Sol had dared to earlier and she reacts automatically to him as she raises to the tips of her toes to press herself further into the curve of his body to kiss him back. Each of their hands bury themselves within the other's hair as he releases all the pent up tensions of this week into her mouth. It is only when they both feel the need for air that they part and he kisses her forehead as he catches his breathe. He does not withdraw any further then he has to as she clings to his shoulders to make sure he stays there. He pulls her towards him again so she can press her ear against his pounding heart.

"I do not know how much longer I can keep this up," she says as she tries to catch her breathe. Her hands roam over his face and then his shoulders and then his chest.

"Neither can I," he answers as both his hands grasp at her waist. He thinks back on all the times this week that he has wanted to do this and realizes that his control is becoming less and less.

"What are we going to do?" she asks as she pulls back enough to stare up into his eyes.

Pushing her hair behind her ear he stares at her lips. "I do not know."

_You have only thirty seconds left._

"We have no time left tonight," he says and she nods because she has heard the warning too.

"I love you," she says as she raises her lips so that they brush against his as she speaks. "Only you."

"I love you too," he answers as he closes the remaining distance between them to kiss her again.

_Fifteen._

He releases her lips to press his forehead against hers to savor these last few seconds together. His hands release her as they punch the walls behind her in complete frustration. Frustration that he sees reflected in her eyes. Quickly, he drags his face down and kisses the scar on her chest before he teleports her back to where he had taken her from and brings himself back to the same spot against the wall. He hits his forehead against the wooden wall as his hands pound against it. His anger only rises when he hears the familiar cackle of Etro's laughter and the sudden death in the air as he feels her appear behind him.

"You cannot watch her dance so passionately with another you are resorting to blowing up tealights and pounding your head against a wall?" she snickers and he feels a sense of relief at her ignorance of his moment with Stella just now.

He ignores her taunt as he remains with his forehead pressed against where Stella's head at been a moment before. He can almost believe that her heat is still there.

"What is it that you want?" he hisses. He whirls around in full fury as he turns to face her yet again. "Is it my loss of control that you get off on?"

"You are beautiful in any way, Dear One," she answers.

"I hate you," he hisses. "I wish more than anything that you could be trapped like you had been before."

She laughs evilly. "Then it is really too bad that you do not have the power to do so. In the meantime, you will follow my terms."

She has the nerve to blow him a kiss as she disappears with another gush of mocking laughter.

He falls against the wall for support as he feels his strength being sucked out of him. It is relief and it is anger that floods him as he tries to breathe.

_You will do what you will do._

He does not have any idea what that means. He has no idea what he is going to do.

* * *

End Notes: I don't know if many of you have noticed but I have decided to post any teasers of future chapters/one shots onto my Profile. My profile that I try to update every day. I can't believe this took me a week to write. I feel that the tension is even worse now that they can't be with each other when before, they felt they had time. Now everything is desperate and needy and is not enough.


	13. Instruo

A/N: This idea came to me while speaking to **MonMonCandie**. I am not sure if everyone has noticed the changes in Noctis' powers since _Noctum_. While they are not new powers, there have been changes to what he can do. This one takes place before _Umbra_ and after _Scars_.

Instruo is latin for "to prepare" or "draw up an order of battle".

**_Instruo_**

"I don't think its concentration that's your problem."

"It does not seem to take much for it to happen," he agrees with Des.

"Does it feel different?" asks Sapien.

"Yes," he says. "I can feel the energy as if it is flowing through my veins. Before it was only a slight feeling when I exerted my powers, but now, it is a continuous flow of energy within me. It does not take much effort for my powers to work."

"It kind of seems like you can do them without completely activating your rune either," adds Des.

"They say that the whole castle rumbles when you have your nightmares," says Vires in worry.

"I, I am not aware that it does," he answers honestly. His heart and mind are usually hammering any other sounds out. The building does not seem to be moving once he has calmed down enough to notice. It worries him that it has begun to affect the entire castle. None of them need to point out that it had always been contained in one room before.

"Are they worse than they were before?" asks Vires.

"No more terror filled as they were before," he answers. "But they are a different sort of nightmare now."

His three brothers stare at him in worry.

"Are you sleeping any less than before?" asks Sapien.

"No more and no less," he says with a shrug.

"So it's the increased strength of your powers and not a change in your general psyche," says Sapien. "That is a relief at least."

"So you're no more crazy than you were before," grins Des.

His lips are quirked but he does not say anything.

"So we can assume that what you could do before is magnified," says Sapien.

"Yes."

"We have to test how much they've been magnified," says Vires.

"Any other powers showing themselves?" asks Des.

"I can still communicate with Stella, but that is not exactly new," he answers.

They all nod back at him.

"I think we need to focus on control," says Sapien after a moment. He is rubbing his chin and Noctis is sure that his friend is already putting things together in his mind to help him.

"You mean suppression," he reiterates. Just when he thought he had achieved the right amount of control, he had to learn it all over again.

"When you're upset, does anything happen?" asks Des.

"I have not had much cause to be upset," he answers honestly. His waking hours had been filled with emotions that only ranged from mild annoyance to contentment. Most days he felt at ease and even more so on the days that he could see Stella again.

"That one time...," says Des, as if he does not know for sure how to broach it. "Right after you killed Stella's father. You caused a sonic boom."

His brain flashes those moments and all those feelings returned. They were still very fresh. It is not a time that he likes to think about, but Des was right. In his anguish and anger, he had caused a shift to occur in Tenebrae that caused the windows of several buildings to shatter and debris had littered the air.

"You did that with a dying crystal," states Sapien and his face looked grim.

Which begged the question, what kind of damage could he cause with a fully energized crystal if he was ever in such an emotionally unbalanced state again?

"Noct, you're like a walking weapon of mass destruction."

Vires whacks him in the back of the head. "Not helping."

"That was supposed to be a compliment!" cries Des as he scratched his head.

"No good," says Sapien as he shook his head. "Noct already suppresses everything already. What you need is an outlet."

"Like what?" asks Vires.

"So whenever he feels like tweaking out he can drive to the middle of no where to vent it out?" suggests Des.

"Something like that."

"You could always teleport," suggests Vires.

"I have never tested the range of my teleportation," he says.

"Then we'll add that to the tests," answers Vires.

"In the meantime, we have to make sure you have a certain level of control when your emotions start to go out of control," suggests Sapien.

"We should be good though," says Des. "Things are looking up. I doubt Noct will have reason to lose it again."

"It is never wasteful to practice regardless," answers Noctis. "Anything can happen."

Sapien and Vires nod in agreement.

"Before your new rooms are furnished, we might have to reinforce your walls with something so you don't end up blowing the whole castle away when you have a really bad nightmare," says Sapien as he punches in commands into his handheld.

He knows Sapien is already forming a list of possible materials that they would be needing and he smiles.

That logic seemed sound. He did not like that he had already put the lives of the servants in danger with his powers and he had not even been aware of it before then. So his room had, had the added reinforcements installed before he was able to move into them. Before that, he had been determined to sleep in the underground hangout that they had been using since they were boys as his temporary residence. Which had not sat well with his brothers, stating that it was not seemly for a reigning King to be sleeping in the basement, not far from the dungeons. Yet what choice did he have? It was not safe for everyone else that lived in the castle if his nightmares got especially bad. At most it would shake but not so much that anyone would be fearful of their lives.

They had made time to test his stronger powers when he was not bombarded with the many troubles within his kingdom. If he could not spare the time, they simply pushed him into a car and kidnapped him. Their reason being that this was more important. A volatile king was not safe for the people and he needed to know what he was capable of doing before he found out the hard way. He could not have agreed more but sometimes time just flew by before he realized it. There were many things to be done within his realm.

It started out with simple things. Lifting a glass bottle and causing it to explode. Something he had already mastered and noticed very quickly that doing so did not require any effort. His right eye had not even had to glow before it was done. Then it had gotten more complicated. Des had driven a car at top speed straight for him and he had lifted it through the air just before it hit him and lowered it safely behind him. He had not even had to summon his swords for a makeshift ramp that time. A crash test dummy replaced Des behind the wheel as they tried another method against him. This time his rune had been activated. The end result was a perfectly assembled piece of machinery having its entire front smashed has it collided with his shield. All he had felt was a slight bump in his shields while the entire front of the car was completely ruined.

When he did activate his rune, the brilliance of the light was more intense than it had been before. It had shined blue before but now it completely shimmered and was a darker blue. Even the writings that appeared behind it had been altered. Sapien was still trying to find the meanings behind all the changes. What they could already decipher from the writings was that he was the anointed leader of the Crystal Bearers, where the name had come from. A look through the ancient texts was hard due to most of it having been lost during the last few generations. So much information had been lost through simple neglect and he began efforts to try and recover it.

Being King and no longer required to hide his powers, made the next phase in his training a little bit easier. They had replicated that night that he was first attacked. A full regime of armored soldiers surrounded the palace as more aligned the outer walls. The soldiers had been instructed to not hold back from firing anything that they had at him. It was the only way to test his fighting skills again. There was no one man that could challenge him, at least not yet. The end result of that exercise was a pile of wounded soldiers and him, standing at the top of the stairs with the essence of crystals covering over everything. There is no blood this time and he is glad for that.

His weapons had also changed. He noticed another notch on his favorite broad sword and his insignia appeared as if carefully etched into the blade. The insignia glowed blue whenever he held it in his hand. There was also the presence of a few more weapons too. One that almost resembled an axe if it were not for the unconventional handle. Instead of a long beam of wood, it ended with a circular handle that made twirling it for maximum effect more possible in a quick draw. He was very eager to test out its strength. The most he could do with it now was practice his aim as he threw it with both his arm and his mind. He did not dare practice with it on anyone. The addition to his arsenal had not gone unappreciated though. It was almost as therapeutic as tuning Umbra when he would have to carefully oil and sharpen each of his new blades. The shiny, slick look of a freshly sharpened blade was a beautiful sight to behold.

Umbra had found her way into his tests eventually. He had taken to riding her through the streets of Nihilsomno during the twilight hour on those nights that sleep just did not come. This caused some worry with his brothers about safety. This he did not understand but their concern over his welfare still touched him, even though he still thought they were a bunch of nannies. They argued that so late at night, he was an easier target. Most of the attacks during those tumultuous weeks had mostly been at night or near the break of day. He really should be prepared for battle in the off chance someone may try to ambush him while he was on his beloved bike. In the end, it had only taken one night to prove to them that he was perfectly capable of defending himself while riding Umbra. He found the added speed exhilarating as he dodged missiles and his shields covered the bullets. There was a helicopter with a broken windshield now where his new axe had smashed through it with ease. Des is just fortunate that he had been aiming for the copilot's side and not where he had been sitting.

Teleporting was trickier to test out because he had only been able to teleport himself and he was never able to teleport between walls. It was always in open air. That is, until he was able to teleport with Stella to the throne room when they had fought that night. Sapien's theory had been that it was because Stella had also been a user of the Crystals that it had been possible. That had not explained how he had successfully taken them both inside the throne room from outside. Something that they still had not fully figured it out. Until Sapien suggested he not think or concentrate as much on doing so and just doing it instead. Reasoning that since it had seemed so effortless that time, it should not require more effort now. He wonders just how much power he could have wielded before if he had done less thinking and more doing, like his friends had suggested countless times. Teleporting Stella that night had been purely instinctive and automatic. They had always disagreed before about concentration in the past. Concentration had always been something that was key for him and to say that it was not needed had not made sense to him before. But, after having the logical proof, he had tried that method and had not forced it. It had worked and his brothers had all been a bit smug at the results. For now, he was able to successfully teleport himself and his brothers along with him from the outside to inside a building. He was not sure he could teleport more than that if he had to.

As for distance, they had not had a chance to test that out. His brothers trusted him implicitly but he found he was reluctant to try long distances with them. Testing their trust was not part of the deal and he would not risk them. There was too much of a risk that something would go wrong. Especially if he were teleporting more than one person with him. The furthest they had gone was a block. By himself, the ranges varied. He did not like to use it to travel long distances if he did not need to. It had seemed too intrusive and a little too scary for the public to think that their king could appear within their homes at any given time. So it was much better that they believed this one ability had limits.

There was also the curious factor of just how he was able to communicate with Stella in his mind. If it was possible for him to do the same with his brothers too. That had almost looked comical as all four of them would stare at each other for long lengths of time and wait to see if they heard anything from Noctis. He could neither hear nor could they hear his inner thoughts. He tried similar tests when he was near the other Crystal Bearers and had not received any responses. It's another inexplicable thing that bound Stella and him and he was happy with just that. There were advantages of having someone feel it just when you needed them and she was there through the phone if she could not be there in person. He does not think he wants to share such a connection with anyone else anyway.

Sometimes his powers manifested themselves when he was not even trying. He frightened a whole room of council men when he had thrust out his hand while making a particular point. It had resulted in a large wooden chair being smashed against the stone wall and its pieces hitting a few of them in the head. It had not even been a conscious thing. He had been a little upset at some of the accusations that were being made about his father and he had been gesturing to make his defense. It had ended the argument but it certainly had not dissolved the issue. If anything, it brought another argument into consideration. He also found that sometimes he would find random things flying into his hand. Once he thought about an object and it was in the vicinity, it would fly towards him. It did not happen all the time but it was something that he had not wanted to become a regular, habitual thing. The first time it had happened he had been eating with his friends. He had wanted the salt, when it had flown from across the table, nearly hitting Vires in the process and into his hand. One look from Sapien and a one liner from Des and he had to promise himself he would consciously try not to do it again. Simple things were no longer simple.

It is another theory of Sapien's that once he is properly acclimated to his new strengths that these little things would eventually stop. He dearly hopes so. Though his telekinesis did not seem to work with people, he knows it would not be appreciated if one day he involuntarily summoned Stella to his side and she came flying across the room. It would not be conducive to the many meetings that he is sure he and the other Crystal Bearers would have to be in attendance together these up coming months. Their relationship was not exactly subtle but he and Stella had been making a conscious effort to avoid being obvious about it either. So doing something like pulling her from across a crowded room with just his mind, was not something that he should be doing. At least, he should not be doing such things in public but he doubts Stella would appreciate it in private either.

With all these changes in his life, the thing that he likes the least was the ring on his finger. The ring that Etro had forced on him. He still had not been able to get the wretched thing off and sometimes he blamed his lack of control on it. The ring is a constant reminder that he owed her. The thought of debt bothered him enough but it more than bothered him to think he was somehow indebted to _her_. By her own words, she was not someone who gave freely. She only knew how to take freely. Well, when it was his time to die, he would go to her freely. He would not even fight it but he hoped. He just hoped that she would not ask for him before he could live his life with Stella.

Yet, he knows better than to hope for happy endings. So in the mean time, he was going to have to keep vigilant in his practice of control.

* * *

End Note: I know that once I've posted this I'm going to think of something else to add. But for now, these are all the changes in Noctis' powers. There is one more official trip for the Crystal Bearers and then there is the climax. I am not sure if I'm going to end it after the climax. Keeping with the note in the last chapter, I will post a teaser of the next in the series but it will be a day before it will appear on my profile.


	14. Glacialis Regnum Unus

A/N: This was getting ridiculously long so I decided to break it up. The second part should be up soon, but I have not finished it yet.

_**Glacialis Regnum**_

_**Unus (Part One)**_

It was a long two weeks before she was able to see Noctis again. Though she hates having to hide their relationship, she loves the thrill and excitement of their love being forbidden. It was a secret. A secret that she had to keep from those around her. It was a secret to only be savored in those rare moments of quiet that she had to herself. Though it angered her that even her thoughts had to be shielded. She never realized just how many times Etro had been probing her mind until she began to notice when it was happening. Having so many supernatural things in your daily life made it seem so normal. Nothing in her life was normal. Not even her love life was normal. What she and Noctis had was beyond anything she could ever have imagined and she loved every aspect of it. The overwhelming torment and bliss that came with him was worth it for her. He was worth it. He was worth any trouble and she would stick with it. She would stick with him, in life and beyond death.

She wishes she could show him just how much she loved him. That he loved her was proven by his actions time and again but he has never given her an opportunity to show the depth of her emotions for him. She has told him that she loved him more than once but it seems as if he does not quite believe her. He needs to hear it though and it seems to make him happy whenever she tells him, but there is still this void of doubt inside him. She hopes for the day that he will accept it and realize that she means it. He could be so stubborn sometimes that she was often tempted to grab hold of his face to look straight into his eyes and tell him firmly that she loved him and that nothing and no one could ever change that. He just needs time to process it before he lets it sink in. She knows this, but given the distance they were to keep from each other she did not know how she could convey as clearly as she possibly could that she was not going to exist without him. That there was nothing that she would not give up for him.

This trip filled her with both sadness and anxiety. For it would be the last of their trips together. After this week, they would only be able to see each other for annual conferences and the occasional celebrations. It would never be like this again and she was going to miss seeing every one of them. She would miss the excuse to travel to distant places and taste different cuisines. She would miss all the shared experiences. She would miss this time with Noctis the most. He hardly had time to spend a full week with them as it was. There was always something diverting his attention back in Nihilsomno that he needed to oversee. She doubts he would stay the whole week if it were not absolutely necessary to do so. He was probably relieved that this was the last while she felt almost depressed about it.

While it was true that not all the trips were as pleasant as others, she would not trade these experiences together for anything. They had taught her so much. They had given her experience with handling personalities so different from her own. They had opened the way for her to see and learn new things. They helped her to see the way to becoming a successful and just Queen to her own people. These were things that would not be taken for granted.

Their last official visit is in Procella's kingdom of Glacialis Regnum. It looked as regal and cold as its name suggested. After two weeks of fun in the sun, it was hard to layer up so that she would not freeze to death. Just how Procella, as thin and tall as she was, did not get cold was something else. She would have thought that the inhabitants of Glacialis would be more stockier than people in Lux Solis but they all looked like Procella. Tall, slim and lithe who all seemed to float about and move like the wind. All of them were so graceful and beautiful in a chilling way. It was very captivating.

The castle seemed like something out of a dream. It was almost fairytale like. Carefully and meticulously chiseled out of the side of a massive iceberg, the entire building was made from ice and thick glass. It had seemed like something completely impossible to achieve but there it was. The inner lights were specially designed not to thaw the ice which covered it and the entire castle shone brightly and dazzled you with its brilliance. She had never seen anything like it in her life and she was awe struck that anyone could live there. Procella was looked at with new eyes as she can made her way towards the place she was going to call home for a week.

Ethereal looking women escorted her to her rooms and her bed was entirely made of glass. The glass which was frosted in such a way so that it looked as if you were really lying in a bed of ice instead. Each bed pole had the Glacialis royal crest crafted carefully wrapped around in a circular pattern. The bed curtains were thin and wispy and though there was not much of a draft, swayed anyway. Everything was white or gold with a little bit of blue. The comforter was a winter white with blue and gold threads that created snowflakes and stars. Beneath the comforter was a blanket of white fur that was soft and fluffy to the touch. The furniture was a mixture of ice and glass. Her vanity was her favorite. The mirror was entirely made of ice and had the most intrinsic sign along its edges that she was amazed that the ice had not cracked while it had been cut.

After carefully toeing around her rooms to study each individual piece of decoration, she wonders if everyone else has arrived yet. She decides she should make her way back down to the entrance hall to see. They had not been able to come together because an ice storm was looming, but she had been too eager to see Procella's home that she had arrived early. She had heard Procella talk about her home many times but nothing could have prepared her for all of this. Procella was very brisk but she was not as cold as she often portrayed herself to be. They would never be the best of friends, her and Procella, but they were on their way of becoming very close friends. Their gifts bound them and she found she liked the other woman regardless of her icy exterior. Procella had greeted her as warmly was possible with her personality and she had not felt anything but welcome when she arrived.

"Sapien?" she asks as she reaches the foot of the stairs. He had been looking overhead at the frosted glass chandeliers above them and had not seen her.

"Stella," he answers and he looks relieved.

If Sapien was here too, what did that mean? He usually stayed behind to represent Noctis to the Nihil council.

"You are here too?" she asks. She is too surprised to cringe at her own bluntness.

He gives her something that looks like a shrug and a nod at the same time. "I was told to come."

"By Noctis?"

"Sort of," he answers and it does not look like he understands the reasons himself. "We're all here this week."

"All?" she asks in surprise. All four of them were here?

"Heya Stell!" cries Des as he comes through the main doors.

She has to bite her lip to keep from laughing at the sight of him. She had thought he looked very funny back in Mons Montis but this was just, brilliant.

"Des!" she cries as he comes over to hug her.

It is an awkward hug considering he is layered in so many thick jackets that he cannot close his arms around her. She ends up having to give him a one armed hug around his neck to let him know she was reciprocating it. When she moved back, she did laugh.

"Des, you look..."

"Ridiculous," finishes Vires as he comes to stand between Sapien and Des. "Hello Stella."

"Vires," she says and she does laugh then. While Sapien and Vires were properly covered from the elements, Des was, well he was in a combination of various things that did not match and were never supposed to be worn together. But he would not be Des if he were dressed any other way in these freezing temperatures.

"I see you have not learned from the last time you saw snow," says Procella. Her voice is the closest to amusement than she can allow.

They all turn to look at her as she stands at the top of the stairs. Regal and graceful were the only words that came to mind as she looks up at the other woman. Her white blond hair carefully flowed around her and her loose white dress was shimmering.

"If you've any spare coats Snow, I'd be much obliged," says Des as he grins up at her. It's hard for him to lift his head too high because of the scarves he has wrapped around his neck.

"You would be pleased to note that I had foreseen your choice of attire beforehand," she snips at him but she does not look too disapproving. It almost looks like she wants to laugh at how absurd he looks but she is controlling herself. She gestures with her hand as she descends the stairs and two servants approach Des with a bundle of furs.

"Thanks Snow!" cries Des as he makes a grab for them.

"They are not all for you," she says but she's smirking. She looks at Stella.

"Oh yes, Procella has been kind enough to have coats ready for us," she makes her point by making a show of modeling her own white furs that Procella had given her upon her arrival.

"That is very kind of you, Procella," says the one voice that can make Stella's heart soar.

Stella turns around to see his much missed face and feels her entire being sigh in relief. She is careful to keep a full smile off her face as she looks at him. He looks tired but she can see the relief in his eyes as he looks back at her.

_Hello Bright Star._

It makes her feel warm when everything around them was so cold.

"I had one made especially for you, Noctis," says Procella as she walks to stand beside Stella and gestures again.

Another servant appears beside Noctis and hands him a thick, black fur that he kindly reaches for.

He looks at the design of it for a moment with a surprised expression on his face. She is stunned herself once she sees what they had done for him. They had etched a design very similar to the one on his leather jacket on the back. Procella had matched it to his tastes and it looked like it would be quite fetching on him.

_I like it_, she sends to him.

The corner of his lips lift as he looks up at Procella and gives her a grateful smile. "Thank you. It was very considerate of you."

It is the most amazing and unexpected thing to watch as Procella's pale cheeks actually turn a little pink at the show of gratitude. It is such a strange sight that Stella does not even think to be jealous. She merely blinks in surprise and amusement as Procella looks anything but icy in this moment.

"You, are most welcome Noctis," responds Procella as she purposely straightens herself. It looks like she's mentally chastising herself for such an obvious reaction.

"Hello Stella," he says as he turns his head to stare intently at her face.

"Hello Noctis," she answers with a nod.

_How I have missed you_. The statement feels like a caress against her heart and she fights from sighing aloud.

She fights the smile that wants to break out all over her face at his declaration and manages a small nod instead.

"I can have the servants show you to your rooms," says Procella, breaking their exchange.

"Yes, that would be much appreciated," says Noctis but his eyes never leave Stella's.

"Is Mira here yet?" blurts out Des.

It is enough to break their gazes upon each other and she laughs as she turns to Des. "No, Mira is not here yet."

Just then, the door creaks open and Sol steps through the doors. Trust him to already be prepared with a stunning winter coat that was perfectly cut for his frame. His curly, golden hair was perfectly styled back to not block his face and his golden eyes immediately searched for hers. It is not until he sees her over Vires' shoulder that he smiles fully.

"I have arrived," he announces as he politely inclines his head towards Procella.

"Diva," she hears muttered from Des as she smiles carefully back at Sol.

Sol walks over to kiss Procella's hand regally. "Our hostess is as enchanting as the castle she resides in," he says with charm as he flashes Procella his swoon worthy smile.

"Welcome to Glacialis Regnum, Sol," responds Procella as she nods her head to him. She does not blush as she had with Noctis, which Stella finds rather interesting.

Sol releases her hand and looks at the bundle of furs in Des' arms. "Did you go hunting without me, Des?"

"Why? Did you want to be hunted?" Des retorts.

"I would like to see you try," answers Sol as the charming smile never leaves his face. He turns to Noctis and gives him a brief nod. "Noctis."

"Sol," answers Noctis with a brief nod of his own.

"Stella," says Sol as he turns to regard her properly. Slowly and deliberately, he reaches for her hand and places a lingering kiss upon it. "The heavens weep for the loss of its brightest star, who blesses us with her presence."

"It is nice to see you too, Sol," she answers with an uncomfortable smile. She is very aware of Noctis' careful gaze at her reaction.

Sol smiles down at her as his golden eyes shine into hers. It makes her take her hand away from his quickly and step away from his closeness. This only makes him smile again.

"Am I late Procella?" he asks as he turns back to Procella. "That ghastly ice storm delayed my arrival."  
"You are actually early," states Procella. "Could I offer everyone something to warm them up while we wait for the others?"

"Thought you'd never ask, Snow," says Des. "But I think Romeo over there needs to cool off rather than warm up."

Sol smiles at the embarrassed look on Stella's face before he feigns a small shrug. "One must always make sure a lady knows how much she means to you. Don't you think so, Noctis?" he asks as he turns to look at Noctis.

"If you have something stronger than coffee, I would be much obliged, Lady Procella," says Sapien.

"I think you will like our beverages, Sapien," answers Procella as she gestures for everyone to walk into an adjoining room.

"Des!"

The voice causes Des to whirl around to face its owner. "Cutie pie!" he cries as he runs and throws his arms open.

"You look ridiculous!" cries Mira as she laughs into his embrace.

"Really? And here I dressed up just for you!" he cries in mock hurt. "Where's Vitrum?"

"Right here," is the answer as Vitrum appears in the doorway.

"Then come here!"

"What is with all the shouting?" demanded Militis as he appeared in the doorway.

Just then Grando slips into the foray that Stella finds very hard not to giggle at.

"Easy there!" says Tonitrus as he snatches Grando by the arm so he does not hurt himself. His booming voice echoes within the room and she has never thought that you could echo in ice quite like that. She hopes he does not shout too loud or else he might be able to crack the walls.

"It looks like we are all here," says Fulgur briskly as he walks in with Astra on his arm.

"Astra!" she cries as she rushes over to hug her friend.

"Stella!" Astra responds.

Stella pulls back and looks between Fulgur and Astra with a grin.

"Stella," says Fulgur with a nod and bows to Astra before making his way towards Noctis.

Stella gives her friend a look of question.

"He was worried about my safety getting here," Astra whispers to her, looking sheepish. But Stella knows better than that.

"Since we all here now, I think we can all move towards the tea room," announces Procella crisply, before swirling around and flowing to the doors to their right.

Stella and Astra giggle together as they follow behind the men to follow Procella. They pass Des and the twins, who are whispering conspiratorially with each other that Stella tries not to find suspicious. She watches with a smile as she takes in her friend's face as she observes their surroundings for the first time.

"This is truly a winter wonderland," Astra cries softly in delight at the sights around them.

"Our beds are made of glass! I cannot wait for you to see!" shrieks Stella as they both look at each other with excited eyes.

"Your coat is absolutely fabulous, Stella," compliments Astra.

"Procella has made us all furs," she explains.

"How exciting," gushes Astra eagerly. What girl did not want new clothes?

They giggled like school girls as they made their way to a small couch so they could catch each other up on the last two weeks they had been separated. As they sat down she could feel red eyes watching her closely and she smiles internally at his attention.

_Will we have a moment?_

_Yes._

_I am glad._

_Will you wait for me?_

_Always._ She says as she turns her head to keep speaking with Astra.

After they had warmed up, they had been led to their rooms and a quick tour had followed. The rest of their evening was spent in each other's company. Even after dinner was served and eaten, they had all stayed around to mingle amongst themselves. It might have been the knowledge that this was their last week to be all together in a social and business setting that motivated them to stay in the same room until late into the night. It warmed her heart to see it. Incredibly, there is a fire pit placed in the middle of the large room and plenty of fur blankets to keep them warm as they talked about things that did not involve politics. She found herself sitting by herself for a moment and enjoying the pleasant atmosphere.

"Stella," whispers Grando, so that no one else can hear. He shifts uncomfortably next to her.

"What is it, Grando?" she asks as she stares at the fire.

"I know I am one of the last persons you would confide in but, did something happen between you and Noctis?" he asks as he avoids her eyes when she turns to look at him.

"What do you mean?" she asks as she tries to keep her voice kind.

"You were both so together before and now, now you both look incomplete," he says awkwardly.

"Incomplete?" she repeats because that is exactly how it feels to her too.

"Yes, it just does not feel right to see you two so separated."

"It does not feel right to me either," she confides.

"What happened?"

She wonders just how she is supposed to answer that.

"I, well, it is complicated," she answers vaguely. "Maybe Noctis does not love me."

"That cannot be it at all," Grando answers with a firm shake of his head.

"Why do you say it like that?" she asks curiously.

"Noctis loves you like I love my tech stuff," he answers.

It makes her smile despite herself because she knows for a fact that Grando loves his gadgets like Sapien loves his handheld.

"Maybe sometimes love is not enough," she says sadly as her eyes unconsciously linger towards Noctis.

"I do not know much about that," replies Grando. "I feel like there is something dark going on. Noctis has not been acting right ever since we were in Ventosus. Something must have happened."

"I have noticed that too," she says because she finds she cannot lie about that.

"The fact that it is you that he is making such an effort to push away should be a warning to you. Something is wrong."

She looks away from Noctis to smile at Grando. "Thank you for worrying."

"It is not just for my sake. We all see it," he insists. "We need you both together because separated as you are, you are not as strong."

She frowns a little to think that as socially awkward as Grando is, he seems uncomfortably knowledgeable about her love life.

"I feel like half of myself is missing," she says.

"I, I would ask Noctis myself but..." he hesitates.

She smiles at him in gratitude and pats him on the arm. "I know," she says.

"It is late," announces Procella just as Grando moves away from her. "I think we should all retire for the night."

She is right. Stella looks at the clock and notices that it's already past midnight and they had a long day ahead of them.

"Might I escort you to your room, Stella?" asks Sol as he appears smoothly at her side.

"No need for that," says Sapien as he comes up behind Sol. "I needed to speak with Stella about a building project she had asked me about in Tenebrae."

"So eager to talk business," laments Sol with an exasperated sigh, but he offers no argument. "Good night, Precious Star."

She looks at him hesitantly as a tight smile appears on her lips. A pet name was definitely not what she needed from him, of all people. "Good night, Sol."

He gives her another warm smile before he leaves her to Sapien.

"Building project?" she asks cocking her eyebrow.

He grinned down at her. "He bought it though, didn't he?"

"But he didn't believe you," she teased as she looked up just in time to see Noctis watching her close with Vires beside him. She hates that she cannot even give him a reassuring smile at least. She looks to Astra instead to say her good night and is completely thrown when she sees her friend watching her with a look that could have been envious. Envious?

"Doesn't matter," Sapien answers as they start climbing the stairs together. "He knows Noct is about two inches from giving him a matching scar on the other side of his forehead."

She does not say anything in response, except for the disapproving shake of her head. "Sol would make a powerful enemy," she says.

"Is that why you indulge him?" he asks looking at her critically for a second.

That makes her stop. "Indulge him?" she asks and it's in her to get offended by that.

"Stella, you do you realize how it makes Noct feels whenever he sees the two of you together?"

"But there is nothing I can do about that," she protests.

"Is that really true?" he asks and a look at his face tells her that he is not asking to be mean.

"You can't ask me that. Noctis can't ask me that either," she says defensively anyway.

"True, but can't you understand how he must be feeling?"

"When he understands how I feel," she responds and that could be taken both ways. The way Etro would see it and the way she meant it. Noctis needed to remember that it was he that she loved and it was not her fault that another man was interested in her. A man who did not even know that they were one again.

"I don't think girls understand. I don't think they'll ever understand," says Sapien with a shake of his head. "It doesn't matter whether you're in a relationship or not. When the woman we want is being chased by other men, no matter how irrational, we get possessive."

There is nothing she can say to that. Sapien is anything if not logical at all times. If what he says is true, than she supposes it is true. She does not understand why these things always led to violence, but she does understand that men and women have completely different mentalities in certain things. It doesn't matter that she doesn't agree, that is just the way that it is.

"What are you saying I should do?"

"I can't tell you that," he says shaking his head. "You're going to have to think of a way."

They are at the outside of her doors.

"Sapien..."

"Yes?"

"Is there something going on between you and Astra?" she asks thinking back to that look that had been on her friend's face when they had walked out together.

He frowns at her behind his glasses. "I don't think I follow," he says.

"Never mind..."

"What would there be between me and Astra?" he asks.

"Oh, um. I did not mean to imply anything," she rushes out.

"Have you been talking to Des?" he asks with a suspicious look on his face.

"No, no. I have definitely not been talking to Des," she reassures. "Why would Des have anything to do with this?"

"It was his idea that Noct insist I come on this trip," he explains with an annoyed look on his face. "Now, that you mention it, he did say something about Astra."

"I am not part of anything Des may be planning, Sapien," she promises with a shake of her head.

"Then why did you ask?" he asks curiously as he looked down at her.

"Stella," calls Mira and she has never been more grateful about being interrupted.

"Yes, dear," she says thankfully.

"Sapien," Mira says with a smile that Stella notices distracts him from her.

She watches as he smiles back at Mira before he turns to look at her again. "Good night, then. Stella. Mira."

"Good night, Sapien," says Mira with another smile.

"Good night," responds Stella.

"Stella, I was wondering if you could braid my hair," says Mira as they both watch Sapien disappear around the corner.

"Right now, sweetie?" she asks in surprise.

"Yes," says Mira with a secret smile. "If it isn't too much trouble. I just wanted my hair to be nice and wavy in the morning."

Stella tilts her head down at the girl with a questioning expression on her face. Then she smiles as she nods and opens her door to let Mira in with her. "Of course I don't mind, sweetie."

The girl smiles gratefully as she takes a seat at her vanity. "I love it here already," she says as she looks around Stella's rooms. "I think I am going to have fun on this trip."

"I hope we all do," comments Stella as she moves to stand behind her. "Now, do you want tight wavy or loose wavy?"

She watches as Mira's lips purse as she comes to a decision. "Tight wavy."

"I think that will be good too," she says as she goes about brushing Mira's hair before she begins to carefully separate it into sections.

"Thank you, Stella," says Mira. "I know you must be tired already."

"No, no. It gives me something to take my mind off my troubles."

"You and Noctis will be together, Stella," reassures Mira. "Your paths only lead to each other."

"I hope so. I know that," she sighs. "I have always known that. It is he who doubts it."

"Men are slower," says Mira with a roll of her eyes.

They both giggle. It was easy to forget how young Mira was sometimes, when she spoke like someone much older. She always said the most insightful things.

"You and Noctis are different from the rest of us," states Mira. "The both of you wield so much between you two. But as powerful as Noctis is, he cannot do it without you. It is much like Vitrum and I. Our powers are not as potent until we are together. It is only then that we are complete."

"I really would not give myself that much credit for Noctis. He is pretty self sufficient. He was fine on his own."

"We both know he was not," says Mira knowingly. "You are the lone star in his dark night. Without you, he would be left in total darkness and that would be very black indeed."

"What am I going to do Mira?" asks Stella as she pauses to stare at Mira through their reflections.

"Something is coming. The darkness has not completely left us. Noctis knows this but he is too distracted. We are all going to be tested."

"Tested?"

"Noctis will not be able to defeat the darkness by himself. He will try but, like I said, he is too distracted."

"By me?" asks Stella as she feels the guilt sink in.

"There is nothing you can do about that, Stella. Noctis needs to do what he must."

"Mira, how do you know these things?"

Mira smiles warmly. "You are not the only ones who hear the whispers."

"You, you mean…"

"Yes, I can see the Light too."

"When did it happen?"

"When I was a toddler," she says with a shrug. "Vitrium saved me."

"But he was young too."

"Never underestimate the power of being a twin," she says.

"It explains why he is so protective of you."

"Big brothers are like that," Mira answers with a shrug. "But we had not had the power of the crystals then."

"What does He tell you, Mira?"

"What I am telling you," she says.

Stella closes her eyes to sense whether Etro is close by before she speaks again. "Does Etro know that your powers block her sight?"

"No, but it will not be long before she realizes," says Mira. "So your moments with Noctis must be brief."

Stella nods as she finishes tying up the last braid and carefully styles it along with the others.

"There now," she says as she steps back to admire her handy work.

"Perfect timing," says Mira as she activates her rune.

Before Stella can ask her what she is doing, there is a knock at her door. She rushes over and opens it to see her beloved, Noctis. It feels like her entire body floods with light as she smiles at him. She smiles at Vitrum, who is standing beside him with his rune already activated.

"Stella," he says and she can feel the sigh in his voice all the way down her spine.

"Noctis," she can only whisper and it's a moment before she steps aside to let them in.

Vitrum steps in first and Noctis follows, but stops just in front of her. He looks almost nervous and she can't help but find it completely endearing. He lifts his black gloved hand and slowly opens his palm to reveal a single, delicate, white flower in full bloom.

"It is beautiful!" she cries in a soft voice as she reaches for it and holds it up closer to her face.

"They call it the Moon Flower," he explains. "For it only blooms at night."

"Like you and I," she says as she closes her door behind them. Her head tilts to the side as she leans against the cool door to look at him.

Red eyes meet blue in a silent exchange full of meaning.

Then he reaches for her and she steps into the cradle of his arms as she buries her face in his thick jacket. They both sigh in relief as they both hold onto each other. There is no better comfort than within each other's arms as his hand reaches up to tangle in her hair. She feels him kiss her forehead as she reaches up to grab hold of his collar.

"Will you be all right at night?" she asks.

"I do not plan to sleep very much here," he answers. "Once everyone is asleep, I plan to leave the castle grounds. Sapien found a cave not too far away that I could go to."

"Alone?" she asks as her worried eyes look up at him.

"Vires is coming with me," he smiles.

"I am glad," she says as she snuggles against him again. "I wish I could be with you."

"I am glad that you will not be," he says running his hand soothingly down her back. "It would be too dangerous."

"And not for Vires?"

"I would not be holding Vires in my sleep," and she can hear the smirk on his voice.

She pokes him in the side and hears him chuckle through his chest.

"Dream of me tonight, Bright Star," he says and it would be completely sweet if she did not know better.

She raises her head to pout her lips at him. "It is not as if I can control that!" She puts her hand on her hips in a huff and crinkles her nose in mock indignation.

He kisses her nose as he regards her with smiling red eyes.

"But I shall be thinking of nothing but you when I close my eyes," she smirks.

He touches the side of her face as he brings his forehead against hers. She watches as his eyes slowly close as if he is savoring their nearness and she takes advantage by kissing him quickly on the lips before leaning back before he can reciprocate. His lips pout as she purposely avoids his lips and she giggles.

"Not in front of the kids," she whispers mischievously.

"That means that I cannot kiss you where I need to," he says looking pointedly at her chest.

She giggles again before running her hand through his midnight hair. Both their eyes look to make sure the twins have their backs to them before she tugs lightly on his hair. He kisses her through her shirt, just where he knows her scar is and his lips linger there a moment as they both feel the meaning of it.

"Good night, Stella," he breathes out in a sigh as he kisses her tenderly on the lips one last time.

"Good night, my Dark King," she says softly as she touches his cheek, the way she always does and loves the smile that she sees on his lips. "I love my blossom." She lifts the delicate flower to her lips and kisses it.

He smirks at her then. "Ready, Vitrum?" he asks, but his eyes never leave hers.

"Ready, Noctis," is the answer.

_I love you._

He looks intensely at her a moment longer but he does not send any words back. She feels all sorts of things coming from him that were difficult to name and equally difficult to misread. He looks conflicted and torn too and she does not understand that. Then he and Vitrum disappear.

She sighs as she turns to look at Mira to find the younger girl is grinning at her.

"Watching the two of you is better than any love tales from the legends," she comments with her own sigh.

Stella smiles at her, but she remembers what Mira has just told her about Noctis and his weakness for her.

"He needs you, Stella," says Mira, as if she can read her thoughts. "No matter what, it will work out for the best."

"I hope so, honey. I really hope so," she says as her eyes fall to the flower in her hand.

Her dreams that night were forgotten as soon as she opened her eyes the next morning. Her first thoughts had been of Noctis and how his night had passed. Her own slumber had come easy and she was surprisingly warm in her bed surrounded by ice.

The next two days were filled with their usual meetings and updates. The usual cultural teachings and then the men filled the room with their talk of politics and debated their views. These were the things that she would not miss about her trips and she found her mind wandering more and more to the times when they would be able to see more of the sights. Especially with the way Sol and Militis continued their combined assault against anything that Noctis may suggest or say. Why they even did it was exasperating. They did not even particular like each other and yet they always united to challenge Noctis. Noctis, who's responses were always reasonable and honest. So it could only be male ego at work. Sol and Militis were older than Noctis by a couple years and she is sure that was a major factor to their obvious taunts.

Not that they ever over stepped their bounds. They just seemed to always question everything that Noctis did. She thinks that may be the only way to challenge him. Both had already tried to combat one on one with Noctis and lost. While Militis had only gotten away with bruises and scratches, Sol had, had to stay in the hospital a couple days afterwards. It still makes her cringe to remember just how badly Noctis had beaten him that day. That Sol still has not learned to back away from Noctis in such a way was a very strange thing to her. Even in regards to whatever his real interest is in herself, he was more than aware that Noctis does not appreciate the attention he pays her. As superficial as Sol appears to be, he does not seem to much care that if Noctis ever lost his patience, another small scar on his face would be the least of his problems.

It was on the afternoon of their second day that Procella finally suggested an activity to stop the insipid bickering. It was never quite bright here but enough of the sun had appeared on a portion of the frozen waters for them to enjoy the outside. It is no wonder Procella was so pale. A frozen kingdom also meant a mostly dark kingdom. It was reported to them that the country seldom saw the full brilliance of the sun. At most, they would see it for about a week within one year and those days were separated by many months. In full winter, they did not see the sun at all and in the summer, they only saw patches of it as it escaped the covering of many thick clouds.

"Ice skating," Militis stated with a mixture of disdain and apprehension.

"It will not make you any less masculine if you do not know how," sniffed Procella, making Stella hide a giggle at the sputter of indignation that escapes Militis' mouth.

"I just know I shall break something," says Grando a little nervously. He is clumsily tying his laces for the third time.

"Piece of cake!" cries Des as he glides across the ice easily.

"We all have to do this?" boomed Tonitrus, but he does not look too bad as he makes his way around.

"Thought everyone might like a challenge," says Procella, purposely baiting the men with an assurance of male ego boosting. Her eyes watch that everyone has tied their laces right.

"What sort of challenge is that?" asks Sol. He looks so perfectly at ease and confident that you would have thought he had skated every day of his life.

"A race," replies Procella.

"Race," repeats Stella as she looks at Grando nervously. Grando had not even stood up yet.

"Men versus Women," announces Procella.

"That is too easy," says Militis confidently.

"I would not underestimate the women," says Noctis. "They have us at a disadvantage."

"How so?" asks Tonitrus.

"They have grace," answers Sol before Noctis can answer. "Which some of us do not have." He eyes Grando as the other man narrowly stops himself from slipping under his own feet.

"There are also only four and we are seven," Fulgur points out.

"A relay race, then?" asks Grando.

"Yes," answers Procella.

"I think it best if I declined this game," he answers. "Then I really will break something."

As he tries to walk on unsteady legs, Procella cannot help but agree with him. He had not been the reason she had suggested this in the first place, so she did not look too put out by it.

"If you think it best," says Stella with a reassuring smile. She turns her head to see Noctis as he watches Des and Mira with fond eyes. Des is twirling Mira expertly before he carefully begins to push her backwards. The nervous yet joyful look on Mira's face makes Stella smile too. Then Des uses their momentum to push her towards Vires, who is waiting to catch her safely within his arms.

Mira then breaks out into giggles as she looks up at Vires. Stella watches the emotions as they cross Noctis' face and she finds herself sighing. To see him watch Mira and his friends was to see how gentle he was inside and she was happy to see it. She just hoped that she was not the only one who did see it in him. Despite what he thought of himself, he was not all darkness at all. There is the feel of eyes upon her and she turns to see the scrutinizing gaze of golden eyes. She manages a polite smile and she can see the glare of red eyes that have turned in her direction from the corner of hers.

"The four of you are like old pros," she says to Sapien to distract herself.

"There was a country house that we used to go to in winter," he explains. "The lake froze over every year. So we've had lots of practice."

She watches as he rolls his eyes at Des' antics on the ice. Des who is showing Mira how to skate with his right leg lifted back behind him. Stella watches as Mira laughs before doing a full circle in response.

"Ice Ballerina!" cries Des with a laugh.

"Our relay race shall begin!" pronounces Procella loudly. "Vitrum will race Mira against each other first. Who will each tag Astra and Tonitrus. Then myself and Fulgur. Stella, you will race with Militis."

"We are out of women, then," says Astra.

"Sol has volunteered to join our team," answers Procella and it looks like she's fighting not to roll her eyes.

She did not have to ask what that meant. Noctis and Sol were already sizing up the ability of the other. The three women shook their heads but did not say anything.

"Over there, towards those markers are two stones. These stones are to be passed to each member, who's turn it is to race. The first team to replace the stone and races back here successfully wins."

"Why are we wasting our time doing this?" asks Militis rather rudely.

"Because it is far more entertaining to watch you stumble on the ice than watch you stumble over each other in a confined room," remarks Procella with a snap.

Militis clears his throat while the other men look sheepish.

"Perhaps this race will drop the testosterone levels around here," she suggests.

Stella giggles behind her hand before she and Astra share a smirk of agreement.

"Is everyone ready?" asks Procella. Vitrum and Mira get ready at position and everyone else nods at her in response. "Ready... GO!"

Vitrum and Mira shoot off against each other and everyone begins to cheer. They stay relatively on the same pace until Mira stumbles slightly as she reaches the stone. She almost misses the marker entirely and it is enough to give Vitrum a small lead. They race back but she is not strong enough a skater to make up for her mistake and Vitrum reaches Tonitrus before she reaches Astra. Tonitrus seems to stomp more than slide across the ice as Astra tries to keep a steady pace. She ends up skidding too wide during the turn around and Tonitrus gives the boys an even bigger lead.

"You can do it Astra!" cries Stella in encouragement. She waves her arms to cheer her friend. "Come on!"

They are all shouting and there is much hand waving and gesturing. Sapien, Des and Vires are naturally cheering for the girls.

"Come on, Ash!" shouts Des as he jumps up and down in his skates.

"You can make it up!" shouts Vires.

"I thought you guys were my friends," responds Noctis sardonically but he is smirking too.

"No loyalties in a race," jokes Sapien which makes Noctis laugh.

His laugh is so rich that she cannot help but stare at him and smile too.

Fulgur is almost half way to the marker by the time Astra passes Procella the stone. She looks disappointed in herself but Procella does not have time to look at her as she races to close the gap between them and the boys. She is almost as quick as lightning as she shoots off at great speeds.

"I am sorry!" cries Astra in despair.

"No worries, luv," says Des. "Queeny will bring things back up."

"You did good," says Sapien with kind eyes and Stella sees the blush as it creeps into Astra's face.

There was definitely going to be a conversation about that later. Right now she had to get herself mentally ready at least.

_You will not disappoint_, she hears in her mind and it makes a secret smile creep onto her lips.

It stays on her lips until two hands gently press against either side of her waist.

"You will fly, Precious Star," says Sol and his mouth is close enough to her ear that she can feel the warmth of his breathe.

She is so stunned by his closeness that she is too busy gaping to move away. That is, until she hears Des shouting about how fast Procella is skating. Her attention goes swiftly to her rapidly approaching teammate and she rushes over to be ready. But she does think that a discussion regarding touching was definitely on the horizon too. Procella whizzes past the marker effortlessly and she finds herself hoping she balances just right around that turn. Procella speeds past Fulgur and hands the stone to Stella.

"Go Stell!" shouts Des and he's joined by Vires and Sapien.

"Come on Stella!" they shout together.

She is a little rusty in her beginning but she manages a steady and quick pace. When she reaches the point for the turn she ends up sliding smoothly to make it around the marker without losing too much of her momentum. As soon as she feels confident enough that she won't fall, she breaks out into a full stride and starts flying back towards the rest of the group. From the corner of her eyes, she spies Militis just behind her. The hollering of everyone cheering for her and the adrenaline in her veins motivates her to push herself faster. She tosses the stone to Sol just as Militis is close enough to toss his to Noctis. Stopping proves more difficult and she manages to crash into a waiting Vires as he snatches her so before she manages to fall.

"Way to go Stella!" he says approvingly as she thanks him for rescuing her.

They both quickly turn back around to see Noctis and Sol racing against each other in the final leg of their race. She does not know who she wants to root for. There was principle. She much preferred Noctis to Sol, but Sol was on her team and she really did want to beat the boys. Sol losing would mean her efforts just now had been in vain. But this was Noctis against Sol in so many different ways than just this race. So she just cheered in general. No names but just screamed and jumped along with everyone else.

Noctis and Sol were head to head. Both are so focused that both of their runes have activated and the whole scene before them was covered in blue and yellow. They both swerve expertly around the marker. Both easily toss their stones back where they belonged and were soon heading back at breakneck speeds toward the finish line. As she cheered, she noticed that something did not look quite right on Noctis' right skate. It was... smoking? He was not going as fast as all that until she realized that it was Sol and before she could even fully realize what was happening, Noctis stumbles to the right. Sol takes advantage of it but Noctis already knows what's causing him to fall and he flicks his wrist to make Sol stumble too. Neither fall though and are both quickly getting closer.

There is a flare of heat and she already knows what's next though her eyes are not as quick to catch up. The sudden heat melts most of the ice that makes Noctis slip but he is not going down without a fight. Another flick of his wrist and Noctis' axe is flying right in front of Sol, smashing the ice in front of the other man. It happens so fast that Sol has no time to maneuver around it and flies over the collapsed ice. He falls faster than the reverberation of the impact of Noctis' axe against the ice. Somehow Noctis has managed to fly forward as he falls and the both of them fly towards the finish line. They both end up sliding across the line together and it is only because of Noctis' spiky hair that he wins.

There is a silent moment where everyone, who had previously been cheering, did not know what sounds to make other than surprise at how things had ended. Their little race had started out fun and had quickly turned into something else. Even the men seemed unsure whether they should laugh or be upset that things had been botched up so badly. Astra looks as if she cannot even think to make any reaction at all. Procella looks a mixture of exasperation and annoyance. Mira looks afraid of what was to happen next. She was just in disbelief.

"Literally, by a hair," remarks Sapien dryly.

His comment relieves some of the tension and the men finally give in to snickers while Mira sighs in relief. Astra looks tempted to rush over and help them get up while Procella merely rolls her eyes. She would have laughed at his comment and the situation if she had not been so angry instead. Those were both cheap tricks on both their parts and she is more than a little tempted to thwack the both of them against their stubborn, thick skulled heads. Maybe a little less hard against Noctis because he had only been retaliating but Sol, she was wondering just how hard she could get away with hitting him.

Both Noctis and Sol are still lying on the floor beside each other as the other men gather around them waiting to either help them get up or prevent them from exchanging blows. It was hard to say what they were going to do because they were both lying on their backs and breathing hard. She can see Noctis flick his wrist again and his ax disappears and she could hear the sounds of crackling ice when it disappears. The next action is so fast that she misses it entirely but she hears the echo of it afterward. The ax was now in Noctis' hand and he had smashed it down, just beside Sol's head.

His voice is low but Stella can hear Noctis' words through their connection.

"I know what are you doing," he hisses.

"I will win, Noctis," vows Sol and he speaks loud enough to be heard.

Noctis does not respond and he is a mixture of intense grief, jealousy and begrudging acceptance. He glares at the other man a moment more before flicking his wrist again and makes his ax disappear. He moves to stand up but his red eyes never stop glaring at Sol. They both glare at each other as Fulgur and Grando try to help Sol, but he jerks his arms from their grasps.

"Do something, Noctis!" orders Sol as he rises up quickly and unaided to stand before him. "I know you want to."

They face off. They are so close their faces are mere inches apart.

"What if I want you to win?" is the calm response. It is a deceptively calm tone and Stella feels a chill from it. There was no good to come from his carefully blank expression.

The question seems to startle Sol enough to break the glare he has on Noctis.

"You.. Noctis...," says Sol but he cannot say anything else because Noctis has already turned around to walk away.

The others part for him and even his three brothers do not move to go with him. They all watch as he walks away with determined strides. He does not walk within the direction of the castle. A few feet more and he disappears all together in a flash of crystals and she feels a chill without him there. For an answer, she turns to Sapien who merely shakes his head.

"No, not right now," he says and she knows that he would know when the right time to approach him again would be.

"Well, that at least, was interesting," states Procella as she looks between Stella and Sapien as if she needed them to say something.

"Serves you right for cheating Sunshine," says Des with a shrug.

Sol merely rolls his eyes. "There were no rules against the use of our powers."

Just then she feels a wave of intense emotions through their connection and she almost falls over from the impact of them. Sapien reaches out an arm to steady her and she grasps his arm for balance. There are no words, just emotions. He is thinking about too many things for any coherent words to be sent. He must not even realize that she can feel it because it is absolutely overwhelming to be feeling all these tumultuous emotions running through him. She clutches her head against the onslaught and she can tell from the look on Sapien's face that he knows what is happening to her.

She grits her teeth against it and refuses to be overcome. His mind is in such agonized havoc. Yet she knows enough to realize that he is going to push her away again. She can feel that much. At least, he was going to try to push her away again. It makes her angry as she follows the lines of his thoughts. He actually thought Sol was a better choice than him? That her future would be brighter and fuller if she chose Sol? He is so dead set on this assumption, combined with his own self loathing and hatred for Etro. She desperately wants to take his face in her hands and make him see, to make him know that a future without him was just not possible.

"Stella," says Sapien.

"What?" she asks as she slowly brings her eyes up to his.

"The sun will not be out much longer and we must go in before it leaves completely," says Astra, who is by her side. She is looking at her with worried, concerned eyes and it makes her compose herself.

Her eyes look toward the horizon and notices that her friend is right.

"Yes, of course," she says as she allows Astra to take her arm and lead her back towards the castle.

They all gather together in the morning room and drink from steaming hot mugs. It is a little later before Noctis joins them and she hates that she can only sit across from him and not fly to his side. He carefully avoids her gaze as he moves to sit with Grando and Sapien. Through their connection she can feel that he has calmed, but he is resolute in his decision. She feels his acceptance of it and it angers her. While he seems to ignore her revolt. Stubborn man.

"The both of you need to stop this," remarks Procella.

"Sorry?" she asks blinking up at the slender woman.

"This distance that you both insist on putting between yourselves," she clarifies.

"I wish we could be together," Stella answers honestly as she turns to look at Noctis again.

"What is stopping you?"

It is on the tip of her tongue to say that it was Etro, but she knows that it was not entirely so. Noctis was, even now, starting to pull away from her through the connection. Though he had kept his word and had not shut her out, he was not sending her any messages through it either. What she was getting now were things that he could not stop.

"Men," says Procella as if she can guess her thoughts. "The one you want is not being forthcoming, which makes the other more persistent one, desirable."

"I would always choose Noctis," says Stella firmly.

"I know you would," says Procella. "But it is not Noctis that is fully pursuing you is it?"

"No," she says and it makes her sad to say it out loud.

"Has Noctis ever been the one to pursue you?"

She wanted to say yes, but that would be a lie. Though true that he had at times taken initiative, he had most certainly had not pursued her first. It had been her who had broken him down and made him accept her. He had always had doubts about even the thought of them together. It had been she who had always been confident. He had finally accepted them and they had made so much progress together and then Etro had intervened. Etro had halted their progress and was trying to push them away from each other. She was taking Noctis away from her. But she does wonder, how differently Noctis would act if Etro's threat were not hanging over them. Sol had always shown an interest in her. Would he be acting any differently if their situation if it were just Sol trying to become her suitor? She comes to the hurtful conclusion that she does not know for sure if he would fight for her. That maybe he would not be acting any differently than now. It makes her heart sink as she sinks into her seat dejectedly.

"That is why you have not confronted Sol yet," explains Procella. "Because there is that part of you that revels in his attentions and you wish that he was Noctis."

Deep blue eyes meet ice blue in surprise and Stella nods.

"That makes me feel so dreadful," she confesses.

"It should not," admonishes Procella. "What woman would not want that?"

Stella does not look too convinced.

"I will not tell you what it is that I think you should do, but I will tell you what your options are," says Procella with a sigh. "Both roads lead to much heart ache, only they are of a different kind. With Sol, it would be that he loves plenty yet devotes only temporarily. Your unhappiness would stem from his differences to Noctis and that in turn will eventually make you both bitter. Heartbreak with Noctis would be the fight. You would be fighting the many demons that plague him. It is only if you are strong enough that you will be able to conquer them together."

She nods in agreement because that is what she feels too. A part of her does wish that she could open her heart to Sol. That part of her that would like to take what looks like the easy way. But her heart was already taken and belonged to the dark, brooding man sitting on the other side of the room. It was no matter that she liked to bask in the glory of the sun. To do so would only be blinded by Sol's glory and not her own. To be the star of Noctis' night showed her own glory as well as his. For it was the mystery and intrigue of the darkness that inspired her to shine, to accent the darkness. Noctis' night suited her and fit her so much better than the blinding rays of Sol's sun.

"Men like Noctis love intensely and deeply. In ways that go beyond reason," says Procella. "You must break your way in to get there but once you are there, you are there forever. Men like Sol are capable of loving but not so deeply and not as completely as Noctis."

Stella watches the look of melancholy that appears on the other woman's face and wonders what she is thinking. Procella had not shown such varying emotions before.

"Who would you pick?" she finds herself asking.

"Noctis," is the quick reply. "It is better to be loved in that way than feeling a passing fancy."

What she felt for Noctis was definitely not a passing fancy.

"So no matter what it is that is preventing you from being together, you must overcome it," warns Procella. "Because if you do not. Who knows what Noctis is capable of doing."

"You think something bad is going to happen?" she asks curiously. She is dreading the inevitable bad that was coming herself. It would only be so long before Etro found out what they were doing. Mira's words had also begun to plague her. The little girl's words about Noctis not being able to defeat the darkness by himself. What did that mean?

"Yes, I can see it coming," answers Procella as she looks at the rest of the crystal bearers.

"Everyone seems to feel it but they have no idea what it is," says Stella.

"Our unity will be tested. I am not sure we are united enough to hold steady against such opposition."  
"We need to be," says Stella. "We must."

Procella nods as she gets up and approaches Fulgur and Astra, leaving her alone to ponder over what she has told her. While she knows that Etro was behind her separation from Noctis, she does not know of what else was against them. She could not come up with a solution to lessen the void that had been placed between them. He was not helping either. Her eyes go to Noctis' brooding form across the way. He is sitting next to Tonitrus, who seems to be explaining something in hurried and rushed tones. Noctis' expression is deep and thoughtful and Tonitrus looks as if he is trying to keep his usually booming voice low. Though he is not looking at the other man, she can tell that he is listening intently at what the other man is telling him. His lips move as he responds calmly back. She almost wishes she can hear their conversation, when she feels the cushion beside her sink from the weight of another body.

"Are you all right, Stella?" Vires' gruff voice asks.

"I really cannot say."

TBC.


	15. Glacialis Regnum Duo

_**A/N: **_This should come with a warning, seriously. There are so many things that happen during this one. I'll write a better note at the end.

Glacialis Regnum is latin for "Ice Kingdom". I forgot to write that out in the first part. Sorry!

_**Glacialis Regnum**_

_**Part Duo**_

The evening passes uneventfully after the excitement of the afternoon. So does the morning and afternoon of the following day. Dinner is a mostly quiet affair but it manages to be pleasant despite everything. There were no parties this night and they were afforded a peaceful evening with cheerful board games and cards. To avoid another tense moment between Sol and Noctis, they were either placed on the same team or they were not included in the game at all. She was thankful for the distraction of simply playing a game. It made her focus on something other than weary thoughts and bleak futures. Things that had been plaguing her thoughts too much lately. She even managed to smile and laugh. More than once, she caught both Noctis and Sol's gazes upon her as she played. Her answering expressions were always careful. It was not in her nature to be so guarded but in this situation, she found she had no choice.

In Noctis' face she could seen his intense longing and guilt and warmth. In Sol's it was all brightness and mischief and intrigue. So very different. There was no way to compare them except by how she felt when she saw them. With Noctis, it was like sighing in contentment and completeness. It made her want to glow despite his seeming determination to let Sol have her. With Sol, it was like a stroke to her ego. Stroking her ego was no way to start a successful relationship and it needed to stop. She must speak with Sol and make him understand that his attentions were not sought for. That though they were appreciated, they were not appropriate. It had to stop. It had to stop before she could change Noctis' mind about is ridiculous notion that he seems to be set on.

Resolved in her mind, her eyes wander around the room. Of course her eyes go to Noctis first. Who is now seated with Des. They are both looking at Sapien, who is playing a hand with Procella, Sol and Grando. Their attention is mainly focused on Sapien and Procella. She watches as Des leans in and whispers something to Noctis and they both nod together. She does not know what to make of that. So her eyes travel to Astra, who is playing a game with Fulgur. Astra makes furtive glances in Sapien's direction now and again but nothing too noticeable. It seems Noctis and Des notice this too and they both look at each other with knowing looks. Militis and Tonitrus are conversing with each other about policies while the twins play a game on the floor.

"Vires, why do they keep looking at Sapien and Procella like that?"

There is no immediate response which causes her to look at him. He has an almost embarrassed look on his face that makes her raise an eyebrow in question.

"Are the three of you trying to set Sapien up with Procella?"

"No, no," he rushes out with several shakes of his head. "Definitely not."

"Then why?"

He clears his throat and lets out a cough.

"What are you guys up to?" she presses.

"We, uh, are trying to see how Sapien interacts with Procella to see if he has an interest in Astra."

She does not quite understand the logic to that but she thinks she can figure it out.

"So, you are… comparing how he acts with each of them to see which one he likes?"

Vires clear his throat, but he does not need to say anything.

"Des has his theories," he says by way of explanation.

Now he really does not have to say anymore and she shakes her head with a smile.

"Sapien has no interest in either," she informs him.

"How do you know that?" he asks and it looks like he has forgotten to be embarrassed.

"I have already asked him," she says, fighting the urge to laugh at the eager look on his face.

"You did?" he asks as he sits up straighter to look at her.

"I did," she says with a nod. "And he did not have a clue about what I was talking about."

Vires looks relieved.

"I doubt he has an interest in Procella either," she adds.

This time, Vires actually sighs in relief and she has a very strong urge to laugh this time.

"You guys thought he liked one of them?"

"I was hoping not," he answers.

She can feel herself getting defensive over the insult to her friend. "I suppose I can understand with Procella but what is wrong with Astra?"

Vires looks uncomfortable again and she can tell that it is because he is having a hard time finding the right words.

"Astra is beautiful, inside and out. Any man should be fortunate enough to have her," she argues.

"Her looks have nothing to do with it," he says. "She is a very nice person."

"Nice," she repeats, but she knows what he is saying. It was amazing that men can make such a good quality seem so bad. Nice was a completely neutral statement that belied their meaning. "I know what that means."

"Astra's as nice as can be," he reassures her. "But she has no backbone."

Stella frowns. "No backbone?"

"Too fragile a flower is useless to men like us."

"To Nihil men, you mean?" she asks with a skeptical look on her face.

He shrugs but he does not look embarrassed at the admission.

"We want someone with some spirit," he replies easily.

"So, the three of you disapprove if Sapien did fancy Astra?"

"If Sapien said he wanted her. We would not say anything."

"To him," she adds. "But you would disapprove amongst yourselves."

He nods, though reluctantly.

"And all three of you think the same way about Astra?" she asks looking at Noctis and Des.

He does not need to answer because she can see the answer. Neither of them were looking as if they liked the idea. They were merely curious and probably gathering things to tease Sapien about later, amongst themselves. Which brought another question to her mind. A much more selfish question.

"What do you guys think of me then?" she asks, hesitantly.

His scarred face turns to look at her fully. She is sure she looks nervous as she blinks back up at him.

"We all love you, Stella."

He says it so plainly and so bluntly. The expression on his face clearly seems to wonder why she even needed to ask. She is not sure what it means about her that they accepted her while they would not entirely accept someone as kind and gentle and loving as Astra. She was definitely not as beautiful as Astra, but he had said that it wasn't her looks that they disliked. That at least was a very male thing to say. Of course her looks did matter but it was not enough to gain their approval.

"How am I any different than Astra?" she asks because she is curious. Most times she felt so useless and afraid.

"You are not like Astra," he says with a firm shake of his head.

She must have a baffled look on her face because he elaborates.

"When we first met you, you were breaking into our morgue to stare at a bunch of dead bodies."

That sort of embarrasses her. She had set off the alarms and nearly gotten them all caught.

"Doing something like that took a lot of guts and you did it all by yourself. It took all three of us to help get Noct in the building."

"But I almost got us all caught."

Vires makes a dismissing noise. "It made things more interesting," he says with a wave of his hand, as if it were no big deal. "You broke into a morgue when most people would stay away. You risked it to get the information that you wanted."

She does not see how that could endear her to them.

"Noct fell in love with you right away and any woman that can keep his attention like that is someone worth paying attention to," he explains.

She did not think that Noctis had a problem with attention. If anything, he paid too much attention. Maybe with women, he was not so attentive. He had, had no idea about Procella's interest in him until she had pointed it out. It explained a lot about what he was missing with her.

"Then you appeared on the battlefield with a fire in your eyes and the way you commanded your troops to cease. That is strength and guts," he says as he look at her with admiration. "Then Noct tells us that you sacrificed yourself for his sake? We have more to like about you than any other woman we know."

She had never thought of herself that way before. Those had all been things that she had just had to do. Bravery had not been part of the equation. There had been no room for fear. She did not even think of it as bravery now.

"So no, none of us want you to ever not be in Noct's life."

A bright smile crosses her face at his declaration. It explained why, even though Noctis had seemed to cool towards her, they had still supported her. Why they always encouraged her. Why they were always so protective of her. Why she had always felt accepted by them.

"Thank you, Vires. That means a lot to me," she says and she cannot even tell him just how touched she is that they all think so highly of her. "I suppose you should go tell them that they do not have to pretend to like Astra since Sapien is not interested in her."

Vires gives her grin that makes her laugh. He gets up then to walk over to Des and Noctis. It gives her a sense of awe that sometimes you get the most unexpected complements from the most unlikely of places. She watches the three friends as they whisper together like a bunch of nosy housewives and laughs behind her hand to keep from making any noise to alert them.

"Would you look at the time?" asks Sol as they seemed to have finished up their game. "I believe we should be turning in now."

"I think you are right," says Procella as she notices that the twins have fallen asleep on the couches.

"We got'em," says Des, as he picks up Mira while Vires takes Vitrum.

Vitrum is not a light weight but Vires does not even look troubled as they walk out the door first.

"Can I escort you to your rooms, Stella?" asks Sol.

"Yes, you may," she says. This would be her chance to have her conversation with him. She gives him her hand as he helps her up and they both walk out of the room together.

"This castle makes me a little uneasy," he says as they are climbing the stairs. "As beautiful as it is, I almost fear that I shall wake up in a pool of water."

She laughs a little at his joke as they make their way up the long stair case. When she is sure that no one will hear them, she starts.

"Sol, what exactly are you doing?"

"I am walking you to your rooms," is the simple reply.

"Please, do not be daft," she says as she pauses in the middle of the empty hall to look at him seriously. "If you are doing it just to rile up Noctis…"

"Can you not just accept my attentions to be genuine?" he asks.

"No," she says with a shake of her head. "I think you only do it to spite Noctis. You should stop this before he really hurts you."

"Noctis would not do anything permanently damaging to me," says Sol confidently with a shrug.

"You are testing him on purpose," she accuses. "You have already succeeded in pushing him too far once. The next time you may not fair so well. Why do you do it? What do you challenge him so much?"

"Because someone needs to," he says simply. He does not look upset, merely stating a fact.

"But why?" she presses.

"What does it matter, Stella?" he asks. "Maybe my interest in you is entirely genuine and it is you who are making more of it than it is."

"More of it than it is?" she repeats. "I see your eyes sometimes when you flirt with me. You are doing it in the hopes of getting a rise out of Noctis."

"Not everything revolves around Noctis," he points out.

"Everything I am, does," she answers firmly.

"It should not be that way," he says as he steps a little closer to her. "It should be that everything he does revolves around you. Not the other way around."

"And it would be that way with you?" she cannot help but ask in disbelief.

"I try to but you will not let me."

"Why should I?"

"Why do you doubt me so much, Stella?" he asks as he takes another step towards her. "Is it because you are afraid to fall in love with me too?"

"No," she says with a shake of her head.

"You are lying," he says pointedly. "If it were not for Noctis, you would have been convinced by now that my affections are real."

"You cannot know that. I knew from the moment I saw you that you were a man that needed to be watched and guarded against. A man that always got what he wanted. Is that why? You know you cannot have me, so you want me."

"Why do you think so little of yourself? It is a shameful thing when a woman does not know her own worth."

"You have not answered any of my questions," she points out, narrowing her eyes.

"Noctis is not good for you," he says bluntly. "All I see is him hurting you and throwing you aside whenever he feels inclined. Yet you just stand there and take it. You just let him do it to you. You who are a spark of fire, gets flooded out by his inability to see how good you are."

"You have misread him. You misjudge him, terribly," she insists.

"Have I really?" he asks and he comes even closer to her.

"Yes, you have," she says firmly and tries to step back from him, but he stops her with a hand on her arm. His grip his firm but he is not hurting her.

"Do you know what he meant earlier when he said that maybe he wanted me to win?"

She does not know for sure, but she can guess.

"This is the second time he has told me that."

"Second time?" she asks.

Sol nods. "He came to me that night after we fought, in the hospital. I threatened to steal you away and he asked me to take care of you."

He? What? Today he had told him the same thing? It was one thing to feel the decision in Noctis but quite another for him to actually give Sol permission. She can feel her anger rising and a flush in her face. How dare he!

"Do you see now?" he asks as he watches the expressions on her face. There is no mocking there, nor judgment. There is sympathy and a little bit of pity. "He cannot love you if he so easily lets you go."

"So you think that just because he gave you permission, you can just carry me off?" she asks trying to keep her voice calm. "That I am some mere possession to be passed along from one man to another?"

"Of course not."

"You have said as much," she says jerking her arm out of his grasp and her voice is rising despite her attempts otherwise. "Now let me tell you something. No matter if Noctis gave you permission or not. I decide who I choose to be with and I have most certainly chosen not to be with you."

"That does not mean that I will not try," he answers. Very quickly he leans over her and kisses her lightly before disappearing down the hall. He is so quick that she does not even have time to slap him for taking liberties that he should not be taking.

She is not sure what she had expected his reaction to be but this had certainly not been it. He seemed about as stubborn as Noctis. His stubbornness was his refusal to stop in his pursuit of her while Noctis' stubbornness was his refusal to defy Etro to be with her. She was so tired of stubborn men! Stubborn about the opposites of what she wants no less. What a mess!

"Stella, are you okay? What are you doing standing in the hall?"

She whirls around ready to attack and looks at the concerned eyes of Militis.

"Why are you men so insufferably stubborn?" she demands.

"Sorry?" he asks with a quizzical look on his stern face.

"It does not seem to matter to you lot, what a woman wants. You just decide what you think is best instead of just letting her choose herself!"

He blinks in surprise at her and his expression might have been amusing if she had not been seething. The rough man frowns down at her but she responds with her hands on her hips and a fierce expression on her face. Her entire pose demanding an answer. When he sees that he cannot intimidate her with his stern frown, he begins to try and stutter a reply.

"I, well, I suppose we have good intentions."

"Good intentions!?" she cries as she throws her hands in the air. "So placing me in a loveless marriage where I would be required to birth many sunny and extraordinarily beautiful children to make everyone else happy is good intentions? Make everyone happy but me! All for the sake of someone's good intentions!?"

"I suppose… so?" he responds and he looks afraid of her feminine outbursts.

"If you were not married, I think I might have just castrated you for insinuating such a thing," she huffs. "So be very thankful to your wife because I could show you just where you can shove your good intentions!"

She stomps away because she needs to be in the company of other females and definitely not in the company of men right now.

"And I do not need a bunch of bodyguards to constantly make sure that I am all right!" she yells over her shoulder.

She does not see the shake of Militis' head as he watches her walk away and it is a good thing. She might have castrated him afterall.

She is so upset that she cannot even feel guilty for telling Militis off. Not that it was something he did not need to hear. He was a man and apparently they all needed to be properly educated because they were all too hard headed to see otherwise. But right now, what she needed more than anything was to have some girl talk. Preferably over some very strong liqueur and maybe to cry just a little bit. Then maybe she would be able to face another day surrounded by chauvinistic men who only seemed to have only her best interests at heart. Good intentions. What a load of dung that was. It was only an excuse so that a woman, not as smart as her, would swoon just with the knowledge that they cared. As she makes her way towards Astra's rooms, she thinks of her friend and then what Vires said about her earlier. Irrationally, it makes her wonder if such knowledge would be enough for Astra. Then, she comes to the horrifying conclusion that yes, Astra just might be one of those women that would be happy with just that knowledge of good intentions. It makes her falter in her steps. She could see it. She could see Astra's long suffering sigh of acceptance to whatever decision someone else made in her behalf and live her life happy with the knowledge that she was doing what someone else wanted for her.

Maybe seeing Astra in her current state was not a good idea afterall. Perhaps Procella was still in a talking mood because she would be a better person to approach right now. Yes, maybe Procella was a better choice at this moment. Which meant that she was walking in the wrong direction. Procella's chambers were in the opposite direction. Making her mind up, she swirls around to do just that.

"Oomph!" she yelps, as she collides with a solid body instead of open air. Her nose bumps another nose and she does not even have to look up to know who it belongs to. "You!" she accuses as she points an accusing finger at him and proceeds to poke him in the chest.

"Me," he answers evenly and he lets her continue jabbing her finger at him.

"You do not get to decide my future," she says as she stabs her finger against his chest repeatedly to emphasize her point. "You do not get to decide who can have me."

Red eyes blink down into her angry blue ones. They are not confused nor confounded but focused as they return her stare.

"I do not care for your good intentions," she explains before he can think to respond to that. "It is I and I alone who can decide."

"And who have you decided on?" he asks calmly. It is not a false calm either and she knows that he is serious but not volatile. Which was good, because she was volatile enough for the both of them right now.

"Right now? Nobody, but I am in a highly emotional state. You should ask me tomorrow when I do not resent you so much," she says, but already, she can feel her sour mood lifting at his mere presence. Which annoys her all over again. "I do not know where you think you get the right to pass me off like some cheap tart."

"You are neither cheap nor a tart," he responds offended for her sake. He's so vehement that she almost forgets what she wants to say next.

Almost.

"You make me feel like one," she says glaring up into his face.

She pauses for a moment to let that thought sink in.

"Why do you always have to play the martyr?" she asks. "Why must it always be you who gets to sacrifice?"

"You already have," he points out. "It is my turn."

While that may be true, that still does not justify his current actions.

"You deserve a better life," he adds.

"What better life would there be than with you? Do you honestly think that I could be happy without you?"

"You will not be happy with me," he says darkly.

"You mock my feelings and dishonor of my character by thinking that," she says, highly offended. "And you do not have a wife to save you like Militis."

"Militis?" he asks with a raised eyebrow.

"Why do you look so amused?" she demands.

"I fail to see how my being unmarried is a factor. Nor where Militis factors into this conversation."

"It means no one will mourn the fact that I want to castrate you," she says indignantly. "Why are you smiling at that?"

He is not exactly smiling but smirking and then she remembers.

"My anger is fueling you," she says, repeating his words. How completely impossible and exasperating was that? Where Sol and Militis wished to escape her wrath, Noctis just has this way of meeting it and consuming her. He has that look in his eye and she knows what that means. "No, no. I have already been kissed against my wishes once already tonight." She backs away from him with a shake of her head and moves to walk away but he catches her arm.

"By who?" he asks and there is a small bit of her that is happy that he is no longer amused.

"A lady does not kiss and tell," she answers evasively.

"Even when you did not want it?"

"Still," she says because another brawl between Noctis and Sol was not something that she wanted to see again. If anyone is going to do any beating it would be she and not them. "You and Sol think you can decide my fate but it is I that am the true master of my destiny and I refuse to give that up."

He looks a mixture of admiration and conflict, but he still wants to know for sure who it was that kissed her.

She comes closer to him to take his mind away from that.

"I want to be with you. No matter how short. No matter how long. We can only belong to each other and there is no other way that it was meant to be," she says trying to convince him further. Her closer proximity is indeed distracting him. She can tell. His red eyes are looking intently at her face. "You knew this that first night we met. I have known it ever since I first heard your name. Nothing and nobody can replace you and a better life is just not possible if you are not in it with me."

He looks like he is too stunned to speak so she presses further by grabbing hold of his face with both her hands. Just like she has been wanting to, to try and convince him of her love.

"My love for you is like the eternal rise of night and day. Nothing can change it and nothing can break it. I belong to your night and I thrive in your darkness. I am the star of your night. So even if you decide you do not want to bother, I will still belong to the night. Even if that means I will be there alone. That is where I belong. So push me away but a life lived without you would not be life at all."

She finishes her declaration by lowering his head closer to hers and she kisses the scar she gave him right at the corner of his chin very gently and she lingers for emphasis. When she withdraws a moment later, she meets his intense red eyes and nods her confirmation and begins to walk away. She does not get very far before he's in front of her again.

"Stella," he says as his hand reaches to stroke her face. He does not try to say anything else and she knows it is because words are escaping him. They both seemed to have this uncanny ability to render the other speechless. She has just confessed a very loaded confession upon him and he has not gotten over his shock.

He has yet to make a full decision though. She knows this. He needs time to brood and let everything she has just said sink in before he can. She wishes he were quicker but she loves that he is such a deep thinker and even deeper brooder. So she shakes her head before he does something impulsive because she does not want him impulsive now.

"You still do not get to kiss me," she says. "Not until you make a real decision and stick with it. Not one made in a flurry of emotions. For I have already made mine." She steps away from him and continues down the hall. This time he does not come after her. She does not go to Procella's rooms but back to her own, where she sinks into a chair and wonders at her own forwardness.

Mira's and Procella's words come back to her. Noctis was too distracted. They had been right about that. She was too much of a distraction for him. She made him lose control of his tightly reigned emotions. The thrill of his impulsive kisses was not enough now. She needed him to make a decision. The next time he kissed her, he would be determined and set. He would accept that they would be together no matter what happened. She needed, no, they all needed Noctis at his best and he could not be if he was constantly in a whirlwind about his feelings for her.

For her own sanity, it was not enough just to know. He loved her. She knows this. She did not doubt this, but he needed to fight for it. It was far easier to die for someone than to life for them and she wanted him to live. She wanted them to live together and if that were not possible then death would be a more preferred substitute. Selfish as it was, her kingdom, her people, even the other Crystal Bearers were not enough to drive her to live without him. She had already imagined what that future would hold that night she had broken things off with him. That future was worse than death. He needed to decide as she already had. It was up to him now and she hoped that he made the same one she had.

They were worth fighting for. They were worth fighting Etro for.

That night she dreamt of what her life would be like with Noctis and what her life would be like with Sol. The possibilities of both paths which she had found both enlightening and surprising. Of the life she could live together with each of them, of the children she would have and each life had been depicted so clearly. So much so that she felt as if she had really lived in both instances with them. When she opened her eyes, she felt ill at ease within herself. A nervous feeling that gave her a sense of foreboding. It was a nagging sense that something bad was about to happen and she almost did not want to get up that day.

Breakfast was quiet but the air was not tense. She did not look at Noctis, even when he chose a seat directly across from her at the table. After only a brief good morning, she avoided his gaze and kept her distance. The connection was open but she was not broadcasting anything to him. It was quiet from his end too but she could feel his gaze on her more than once and longer than would be considered polite. She did not acknowledge it but she did not ignore it. She was going to keep her distance until he came to his decision. Once everyone had slowly woken up, the chattering had increased and she did not need to focus on him after that.

It had been decided that they would be going on an expedition of sorts. They were to take motorized sleds to some of the more remote and torrential areas of Procella's kingdom. It sounded cold and it sounded rough.

"Sounds too cold for me, " says Des. "I think I'll stay here while the rest of you enjoy getting frost bite."

"I want to stay with Des," says Mira.

"Me too," agrees Vitrum.

"Very well," agrees Procella easily, which makes Stella wonder just how rough the trip was going to be.. "The three of you stay."

She cannot explain why she feels so relieved that the three of them were to stay safe within the castle. If anything were to happen to the twins, she does not know what she would do. This expedition sounded dangerous enough with adults and definitely did not sound like one to take with pre teens. There was a part of her that wanted to stay behind with them to avoid any danger but that stubborn side of her, the one that pushed her to face her fears, railed against the thought. Remaining in fear would only hold you back and forward is where she wanted to go. There was no way to prove her point to Noctis by letting her own fears hold her back.

"Are you sure it will be safe?" asks Noctis.

"It is not exactly safe," answers Procella. "There is always the danger of running into a monster and getting caught in a severe snow storm."

"Sounds like fun," says Sol with a challenging smirk towards Noctis.

Noctis ignores him. "We have not had good experiences with snow," he reminds everyone. She is thinking of that incident too, with the avalanche. "One thing I have learned, is to not challenge the elements."

"Then it is a good thing that Procella has a way with ice," says Militis. "And Sol is handy for heat."

"Your weapons would be useless," adds Noctis with a raised eyebrow. He knows it still irks the man to be reminded that he had not helped that day of the avalanche.

"We should be fine," says Procella before Militis can.

"Famous last words," comments Des. "No worries though. If you aren't back in six hours, I'll come looking for you."

"And if you get into trouble looking for us?" asks Vires.

"Then you should stay behind too and make sure I don't get into trouble then," says Des with a roll of his eyes.

"I think I'll stay too," says Sapien to Noctis. "Just in case."

"As if my own people do not know what to do," sniffs Procella. "Come on now. Let us get ready and be on our way."

So now, they are on their way. She knows not where exactly. A part of her loves this sense of adventure, but most of her wishes that she had stayed in the ironically warmer confines of the ice castle. It was so cold and windy that even though they were encased in a bubble of glass, they still felt the freezing temperatures. They had, had to wear zipped hoods to protect the lower parts of their faces and goggles to protect their eyes against the elements. It was hard to see anything in this blizzard and she was thankful that the sleds were attached to each other. There is that small measure of relief that these things seemed to know just where they were going. She was riding with Astra and Fulgur in the back of one with Sol and Militis, while Noctis was with Procella, Tonitrus and Grando.

Their seat in the back was a tight fit with the three of them, but she doubts that Fulgur minds being so close to Astra. Astra who looks like she is just thankful to be in the middle of two warm bodies while she snuggles closer to Stella's side as they continue on their way. Nobody is talking so it feels like they have been traveling for a long time. She is just about to break the tense silence by wondering aloud about how much further they were to go when Procella's voice shouts and they all see her point towards a large cluster of icebergs. Their small caravan follows in the direction of her hand and as they get closer, they can see that they are mountains and not huge masses of ice after all. They stop at a large mouth of what looks to be a cave and Procella jumps out of her sled and goes inside.

Militis is the first to leave their sled and Sol helps her out as Fulgur aids Astra. They all rush to follow Procella inside to escape the elements. Stella and Astra stay close to each other as they enter the cave. It is such a relief to be out of the strong, snowy winds. They all unzip their hoods and lower them before removing their goggles to fully stare at the spectacular sight before them.

The cave was absolutely massive. It reached up indefinitely and the cavern was deep and vast. There were sections where the ground opened up to fathomless depths below. On the very end, she could see the entrances to other, much smaller tunnels. It was impressive as it was mind blowing and they all stared about with gaping mouths. They had chiseled along the walls the entire history of the people of Glacialis Regnum and their great kings were all immortalized with gigantic statutes in their image.

"This is amazing," breathes Stella as they stare at each statue.

"It is the pride of my people," says Procella as she looks as pleased as she can be at their reactions. "It covers many generations of my family and my people."

"How did you figure out how to do it?" asks Grando as he begins to take pictures.

"Centuries of living in ice gives you ample opportunity to be inventive," replies Procella.

"You will get your own statue, then?" asks Stella.

Procella nods. "I am the first Queen to reign alone in our peoples history."

"Fascinating," says Fulgur as he squints to read one of the inscriptions.

"It is absolutely breathtaking, Procella," says Astra as she smiles at the other woman.

"Where do those tunnels lead to?" asks Militis.

"Each of those tunnels is the personal monument of each king," she explains.

"So you will get your own monument too," says Sol and he looks genuinely impressed as he looks at one of the statues more closely.

"Yes," she says as she looks at the faces of all her predecessors.

"I cannot wait to see them all," says Stella and she can see from Procella's face that she is pleased to.

Each room is decorated to the personality of each king. They were all different and every room gave you a glimpse of how these kings had ruled during their times on the throne. The fashion, the achievements and the improvements were all on display like a story before them. Stories of which got darker and sadder as they got to the more current monarchs. What they all noticed was just how badly things had turned for the worst once the original crystal of Glacialis had died. Things turned bleak and the rooms were not as ostentatious.

"What more could they have accomplished if they had not lost their crystal," Noctis mused aloud and he shook his head. "Why was unity never achieved for the sake of the people?"

"Selfishness," states Sol as he looks resentfully at Noctis. "Greed."

Noctis nods his agreement and he looks ashamed of his own line for shutting everyone else out when it was clear that people had suffered from the lose of the crystals. The common people were the ones who suffered most and they had done nothing to help, only closed themselves off and hording their crystal to themselves for so long.

"But we are changing that, aren't we?" asks Fulgur. "We are trying now and we have already accomplished so much."

"Have we?" asks Noctis skeptically. "I do not know."

"Of course we are," says Tonitrus. "We have not killed each other yet."

"Though we have certainly come close," Militis points out.

"This cannot happen again," says Noctis.

"We will be different," reassures Stella. "We will succeed where they had failed."

"If some would just quit being so determined on unnecessary things," Procella says looking at Sol.

"Whatever do you mean, Procella?" asks Sol innocently.

She does not even deign that with a response as she turns around to look at everyone else.

"There is another mountain with caves that I would like for you to see before we head back. It is a little further away," she says. "If nobody minds braving the weather for a few more miles."

"We might as well since we are already out," says Grando. "I would love to see more."

Procella looks pleasantly at him. She does not ever really smile but this was as close to a smile that anyone had ever seen from her.

"Very well," she says after a moment to see if anyone would object.

They all take a moment to re-zip their hoods and adjust their goggles again before making their way back to the harsh conditions of the outside. She was reluctant to leave such splendor but she is eager to see what other grand things that Procella wanted to show them. So she braced herself against the onslaught and followed behind everyone as they made their way back out. The fierceness of the snow and wind that hit her was enough to push her back a little and it was only the hand on her back that saved her from stumbling backwards.

It was a hand that felt as familiar to her as her own and yet still sent a thrill through her at the contact. As unhappy as she is with him, there is no denying the effect he has on her. The effect he always has on her. She did not even have to turn to make sure it was really him because she already knew. She could feel it. Letting the hand lead her through the harshness of the elements, it did not leave her back as it led her to the front sled and into the backseat. She turned to look at the other sled and noticed that nobody looked confused or questioning. Though she did notice a stiffness to Sol's shoulders but she was going to studiously ignore that. She sat behind Procella and Tonitrus, which made Grando sit in the back with her and Noctis.

"You must save me," he whispers into her ear and despite it all, she finds herself giggling at his joke.

Her eyes carefully avoids Procella's so she does not get his meaning, as they got into their seating positions.

Noctis raised his arm onto the back of the seat to make sure she was pressed against his side as they rode, while Grando had enough room to sit comfortably. He was faced to the side towards her so that she could sit comfortably into the curve of his body but did not close his arms around her. She could not even find it in herself to mind. It was warmer with him and she was engulfed in his familiar scent as she turns towards him. She fought the urge to put her head on his shoulder but instead looked at him uncertainly as she sat with her back against the corner of the backrest. He merely looks back at with that torn and intense expression he always got when he was not sure what to do with her.

That was not encouraging to see. As much as he disliked her with Sol, he was still not sure. Procella was right. She was drawn to Sol because he was so forward where Noctis was not. It was the one thing that she could not love about him. Sometimes thinking too hard and not doing anything was more damaging than doing nothing at all. Much like their situation now. Etro threatened to take her back to the grips of death and he was not willing to fight against it. Where was that fierce and rebellious warrior in him? She did not like his fear. She did not like his indecision. So she sat back as far as she could from him and crossed her arms with a disappointed shake of her head.

The ride to their new destination did not seem as long this time. But then again, she would not have noticed if it were because of Noctis' presence at her side. He was too much of a distraction to really think about anything else. It made her wonder, for the umpteenth time, whether he was as affected by her closeness as she was of his. He was not even making an attempt to touch her either. His arm behind her, remained there and not upon her shoulders. It was just that he was there, sitting beside her and she just felt so irrationally relaxed and content. Even when she was mad at him. Why could he not see this? Why was he always so stubborn so as to turn a blind eye to this? It seemed unfathomable to her that such an observant man did not seem to see how much he effected her for the good.

When they had arrived, he offers her a hand and she takes it as she descends. Then they all follow Procella inside another cave. Though not as spacious as the other one, it was certainly no less grand. There were statues but none so big as they had just seen yet the details were equally intriguing. It was a small space that gradually opened a bit to reveal a set of tunnels.

"Not all the tunnels lead to pleasant things," remarks Procella.

"Traps?" asks an intrigued Militis.

"Unintentional, but yes, traps," she answers. "I would not recommend coming through here unguided."

Militis eyes the tunnels with new fascination, which always surprises her. Some people loved being in danger and it was such a curious thing for her. She did not actively seek danger but she would like to think that she was one of the ones that would face it when it came.

"I hope none of you are claustrophobic," comments Procella as she leads them into a small, unassuming tunnel.

They went in two by two at first but it narrowed so that they had to eventually follow single file. Then it got more narrow and kept getting more narrow the further they went. She had never considered herself to be claustrophobic before, but she did feel a little bit anxious at being in such a tight squeeze. It narrowed even further so that you had to walk sideways to keep going forward. She somehow managed to look behind her to look at Astra, who looked almost as pale as the ice around them. She was behind an equally anxious Fulgur. Though it looked like his anxiety stemmed from Astra's not his own.

"Um, how much farther?" asks Grando nervously from the back.

"Just suck in a bit," says Procella as her slender form does not even touch the sides of the ice. "It is a tight squeeze for those of us wide in the middle, but you are almost there."

Stella feels Noctis' hand squeeze hers before pulling her through the last small opening and into a small cavern. Well, it was not exactly a cavern, but more of a small reprieve from the narrow hall. It was just tall enough to fit the taller Tonitrus and Fulgur but not wide enough for all of them to stand around together. There was no other way to go but through a small crawl space on the other end of it. The small crawl space that Procella has already disappeared through, not even waiting for everyone else.

"I am stuck," pronounces Militis.

"Just suck in," cries Grando, who cannot advance any further if Militis does not get through.

"I am stuck and can go no farther," Militis announces and he does not sound very nervous, just stating fact.

"Maybe we should try pulling," says Tonitrus.

"And risk cracking something? I think not!" answers Fulgur.

"Then allow me," says Sol, who is in front of Militis.

Stella cannot see what it is going on but she can imagine that Sol has melted just enough of the ice to let Militis squeeze through.

"Much obliged," she hears Militis a moment later.

Which leads her to look between Noctis and the crawl space.

"You go first, Stella," he says.

"I, um, I do not fancy my backside in front of your face," she says and as soon as it leaves her mouth, she realizes how stupid that sounds.

"Would you rather mine in front of yours?" he teases.

She makes a face at him before lowering herself to go through the crawl space. The ice is slippery beneath her hands as she tries to stay on all fours through the cramped space. Everything is so white that she cannot see how far they have to go. It almost seems endless. She strains her neck to see Procella's feet just as they disappear completely from view and a strange swooshing sound follows. Not a strange sound but mostly certainly not a welcome one. She has a small moment of panic as she realizes just why Procella's feet have vanished.

"Noctis," she says hesitantly.

"Yes?"

"We are going to fall."

"Fall?" he asks and he sounds more curious. Not at all as scared as she feels.

"Yes," she says right before her hands lose all their gripping and she falls, face first into an opening.

She thinks she might have screamed but she cannot be sure because she's sliding so fast. There is not even the view of an end in sight as she continues to slide endlessly in this tube of ice. She knows she cannot even try to stop herself because Noctis is right behind her and everyone else behind him. So she lets herself keep sliding down when suddenly she hits a ramp of sorts and flies out into open air. There is that feeling of her stomach lifting to her throat that she enjoyed on roller coasters but certainly not in this situation. She forces her body to turn so that when she does land, she will land on her back as she braces herself for a hard impact. An impact that feels like two solid arms and her arms instinctively go around a familiar neck. She finds that her eyes must have, at some point, closed in her fall and she peeks them open to see the amused look on Noctis' face.

"Are you all right?" he asks.

"Now," she says as she smiles back at him gratefully. "But the others..."

She hears Astra's screams mixed with the hollers of the men behind her as they all fall. She looks up just in time to see Astra's body fall into a gigantic mass of fluffy snow. She is quickly followed by Fulgur, Tonitrus, Sol, Militis and Grando. They both watch as the rest land safely within the cushion of white puffiness before they look at each other.

"We cheated," she says to him and they both exchange a matching set of smirks.

He shrugs indifferently to the others' loud complaints and swears before he lowers her gently to her feet.

All of them pause at the foreign sound of Procella's laughter as it echoes through the cavern. She does not think she has ever heard the other woman laugh before and it is such a pleasant and melodious sound. So much so that she does not even think to be annoyed that the other woman is having so much enjoyment at the others expense.

"That was... entertaining," she comments as the other six begin to dust the snow from their clothes.

"You could have warned us," growls Militis.

"That was oddly invigorating," comments Fulgur.

"Indeed," comments Sol, who is melting off the snow in his hair.

"I thought I was going to faint."

Stella smiles because that is what Astra always says.

"That was fantastic!" shouts Grando and he looks the most ridiculous. His hair is standing on end and is more white than its usual brown.

"I want to do that again," says Tonitrus and he liters the others when he lifts his arms in triumph.

"Are there anymore surprises before we get to wherever it is that you are leading us to?" asks Fulgur.

"We are already here," Procella says as she tilts her head to the side.

They all turn in the direction she has indicated and Stella knows that their journey had been worth it. It is like a menagerie of crystals. Not the same kind of crystal for which their powers are bound, but these were brilliant and stunning. They looked like diamonds as clear as glass that sparkled and enchanted.

"We call this place, 'The Chandelier Room'," explains Procella. "Do not touch them. They are quite fragile."

"They are so beautiful," says Astra as she walks closer to a cluster of crystals closer to her.

They were all grouped into clusters and all of them had an inner brilliance that shone against the ice. They did indeed look like grand chandeliers and they were everywhere.

"How did you do this?" breathes Stella as she moves to stand closer to a larger cluster of crystals.

"We did not do anything," explains Procella. "They had already formed when my forefathers discovered them here, deep within the caves. We cannot explain how they form. We still do not fully understand how this even happens."

The clusters went on, almost endlessly and upon closer inspection, she realized that they were all different. None of them were exactly the same shape, nor the same size. All were unique but equally magnificent. They looked so fragile and delicate, yet sturdy and strong at the same time. They dazzled and their light twinkled all around them. It just did not seem real. Like everything else within Procella's kingdom, it all looked like something out of a dream. Yet, here they were. Real as everything else in their world and they all shined as much as the others around them. It was so remarkable and so amazing to behold. She had never thought that such a thing just happened so perfectly, without any intervention from people.

"They have no magical properties?" asks Militis.

"None. They just are," answers Procella. "We have tried to duplicate this process but our efforts have all been in vain. Once these crystals are detached from where they grow, they lose whatever powers they possess."

"So they do not glow once you remove them," says Grando as he takes more pictures. He looks around wide eyed.

"How are we to get out of here?" asks Sol after a few more minutes of browsing.

Stella wishes she could stay a little longer but she knows that they must leave now that the question has been raised. She knows the men will be eager to leave now that they have seen what they came to see. Only Grando looks as if he could stay much longer, as she would.

"We climb out," says Procella as she points to a side of the cave.

"On a sheet of ice?" asks Grando nervously.

"There are plenty of jagged edges that will make it easy."

"Can't Noctis just teleport us to the top?" asks Astra.

"Yes, the women would not be able to do it," adds Fulgur in agreement.

"How many times have you done it, Procella?" asks Stella.

"More than a handful of times," is the reply.

"I would like to try it then," she says walking up to the wall.

Just as Procella said, there were wedges that could be used to easily hoist yourself up in a climb, making it entirely possible. Her eyes study the rest of the way up and she sees that there were plenty so that you could get to the top without too much trouble. You just had to make sure you did not slip.

"Stella, you couldn't possibly..." starts Sol.

She looks back at him with a defiant and determined look on her face. "I can possibly and I will," she answers sternly. "We have all come this far and this is part of the experience. If Procella says she has done it, so can I."

She turns to look at Noctis.

He answers her with a proud smirk on his face.

"Stella is right," he says. "Where is the adventure if we skip this part?"

"But, I ..." says Astra.

"If you are really nervous I can teleport any one of you but I am climbing with Stella," he says.

His words make sure that none of the other men can offer protest for Astra's sake. Male ego at work again. None of the others, most especially Sol and Militis, would be able to back down from his words. She thinks they might even race to see who is the faster climber. It makes her want to roll her eyes, even as she feels proud that Noctis was encouraging everyone to follow her decision. He trusts her enough to do this on her own and they both know that if anything should happen, he could save them. She feels a very strong urge to kiss him for his support.

"I suppose I shall be climbing as well," says Astra reluctantly.

"It is decided then," says Noctis as he smiles at Stella.

_We want someone with spirit_. Vires' words play back in her head. Was this what he had meant?

"Ladies first?" Noctis asks, motioning towards the wall.

She nods before taking a deep breathe and places her foot onto a stable wedge while grabbing hold of another one to hoists herself up. The next step is a little harder because she has to support all of her weight but she does it. Then keeps going. She does not look down and she does not think about the fall. If anything happened, Noctis would save her but she was going to make real sure that he did not have to. As they all climb, the others keep a steady conversation as they all climb up to the top together. Keeping their minds from thinking about how high up they were going, especially for Astra. The men even joked about idiotic things that made her giggle with them as they all progressed.

She is the first to grasp the ledge that would lead into another tunnel and lifts herself up and onto it. She is thoroughly winded and her arms felt like they were on fire but she had never felt more alive in her life. The strong sense of accomplishment was heady. She takes a moment to catch her breathe as she watches them all climb onto the ledge with her. It almost irks her that Noctis, Militis and Sol do not even look a little bit winded as Fulgur helps Astra to lift herself the remaining way up. Grando is gasping loudly but he has a triumphant smile on his face and she knows he does not regret putting himself through the strain. They are only allowed a few brief moments to catch their breathes before Procella announces that they need to keep going. The rest of the way up is by a narrow staircase that made her thighs burn but the feeling was equally invigorating once they reached the top.

Once they get back to the main cavern, Astra lowers herself to sit down on an ice rock as she fans herself. Stella watches her friend and wonders just how Astra can look so beautiful while being sweaty. She feels like she must look like a fright while her friend does not even have a hair out of place. If anything, Astra looked as graceful sweating as she did doing everything else. Even the flush of her cheeks was pretty. Every move she made was just perfectly feminine and graceful. It makes her wish she were more like her friend. That is, until she remembers what Vires told her about beauty and if it was too fragile. It was so puzzling how men saw things one way and women thought another. What she loves in Astra is what they did not like about her. It was so confusing.

"I think I should like to see what sort of traps there are in the other tunnels," says Militis once they have taken a few moments to rest.

"You cannot be serious," exclaims Grando.

"Is that really necessary?" asks Fulgur.

"That one," points Procella as she indicates which one he should try.

"You can go by yourself," says Tonitrus. "I am in no hurry to get hurt."

"No sense of adventure!" admonishes Militis. "Sol?"

"Why? Are one of the these beauties going to be needing aid?" is the reply.

Procella looks like she's fighting another eye roll whereas Astra looks confused, but Stella can tell that he just does not want to go.

"I shall go with you," offers Noctis.

"That would be wise," comments Procella. "He is going to wish he could teleport once he finds what is at the end of that tunnel."

It is a warning that Militis scoffs at, but he makes no objections to Noctis' going with him either. He makes something that sounds like a huff and a grunt before they both make their way towards the tunnel.

"Noctis," she says before she can stop herself. It is not that she thinks him incapable, but it does not stop her from worrying.

Red eyes turn to regard her for a moment and she knows that he understands. "Something tells me we shall not be gone long," he says shooting her a calm smirk before he disappears behind Militis.

"How long should we wait?" asks Fulgur.

"I give them about fifteen minutes," says Tonitrus.

"What is down that tunnel?" asks Grando.

"A long and unexpected fall," Procella shrugs.

"Which is why it was a good thing Noctis volunteered to go with him," says Astra, but she still looks worried.

Stella is not exactly worried. Maybe a little nervous at the unknown dangers but that is gone now that she knows what the danger actually is.

"What shall we do in the meantime?" asks Sol.

"We wait for them," says Stella as she frowns at him.

"I would like to see Militis' face when he comes back," says Tonitrus.

"Do you think it will resemble an animal with its tail between its legs?" laughs Fulgur.

Sol does not say anything but she can see that he would love to see the military man look humbled for once.

They wait a few minutes in silence before Stella feels a slight rumbling.

"What was that?" asks Astra, who is sitting beside her.

"Sometimes the caves shake," says Procella.

The rumbling is a little stronger this time and she is sure that she heard something this time too.

"That is no mere shake," says Stella and she reaches out to Noctis through their connection.

"And it is coming from there," adds Sol as he points to the very tunnel Militis and Noctis are in.

Stella feels it through her connection with Noctis and the rumbling that seems to be louder as she rises to stand.

"Something very big is coming," she says as her rune activates. "Take cover!"

She jumps to the side just as a giant of a monster comes crashing through the thick icy walls from that very direction and flies over their heads to land at the entrance of the cave. Shards of ice fly in every direction and a large piece pierces the ground by her head. She looks up to see Noctis run through the fresh hole with Militis right behind him. His right eye is already glowing bright red and he is already bleeding. She cannot see a wound from where she is, but she can tell that the injury is serious. He pauses a moment to search the room for her.

"I am fine!" she cries to reassure him and she can feel as well as see him shift his focus entirely on slaying the monster.

She watches as he nods to confirm her safety before he turns to the drooling and seething monster that is blocking their escape. Noctis' swords are swirling all around him and his favorite broad sword flies out of his hand to be replaced by his ax. He does not even hesitate as he charges, head first towards the monster. It opens its mouth and a large block of ice flies forth from its jaws and rushes straight towards Noctis. He does not even stop, but it does not reach him as Procella uses her powers to misdirect it. Taking a leap, he teleports onto the back of the ugly thing's neck and crashes his ax down on its flesh. The monster rears its head back and another boulder of ice shoots out of its mouth and smashes into the ceiling.

"Oh, no," she whispers as she watches the cracks start to run rapidly through the entire length of the ceiling. The large beast is still blocking their only exit and Noctis is too busy trying to cut off its head to notice what is happening. They need to move and move fast.

"Sol!" she shouts as she points to the ceiling. Her rapier appears in her hand and she charges towards the monster to help bring it down.

Sol stops in his pursuit of the beast to look up at where she is pointing and she watches the realization dawn on his face. Quickly he raises his hands towards the back of the monster and the resounding heat causes it to shriek loudly as it jumps away from the entry way. She rolls to the side to avoid its feet and swipes hard against the back of its right leg as she goes. It shrieks again above her as its blood gushes out of the wound but it stays up.

"Get everyone out!" she shouts as she takes another swing and misses a swiping claw. She pushes Astra towards the opening as she looks up at Noctis. Who seems to have been dislodged by a sudden jerk of the creature and was now teleporting this way and that. Slamming his ax here, stabbing with his sword there in any way that he could reach. It was still not going down.

"Stella!" shouts Sol.

Militis is flinging his weapons at the monster as the others are and they are all retreating together towards the exit.

"Sol, get her out of here!" shouts Noctis as he swings his ax again to distract the creature as the others making their escape.

The ceiling was beginning to collapse onto them. Shards of ice begin shooting down like deadly blades all around the floor. She feels one pierce her shoulder and feels it throb but she cannot think of the pain right now. The monster snaps its jaws, narrowly missing Noctis' head and that is when she makes her decision.

"Stella!" shouts Sol as she jerks from his grasp and runs towards Noctis and the massive creature.

"Get out of here!" she shouts at him as she runs.

Running as fast as she can, she almost flies up the tail and up along the spine. Her rune flashes a deep gold and her rapier already in her hand. She runs until she is at the head of the massive beast before she stabs her sword right through its skull and hangs on with all her might as the monster roars up in pain and tries to dislodge her. It ends up bearing its throat, which Noctis takes advantage of by swinging his ax towards the exposed area and finally, cuts the head clean off. Falling ice is pelting down on them as she jerks her sword out the dead carcass, before she jumps off the falling head to run along the falling body when she notices something else coming through the recently made hole. Her eyes widen at the sight before her. There is another one! She does not have time to think about her next move when strong arms encircle her and they both disappear.

They reappear outside in the middle of the blizzard with the others and she fumbles with her goggles and hood. She feels two hands helping her zip her hood back up and she meets Noctis' red eyes before they hear a cracking sound. Everyone turns their heads together as the mate of the slain creature blasts through the entry way and comes roaring out at them. She can hardly see anything but she can definitely make out its form as it rears its ugly head in a fierce screech before it comes barreling towards them. Noctis reaches into his pouch and puts something in his ear and starts to shout but she cannot understand what he is saying over the howling of the wind and the screeching of the creature. He moves forward to engage it as she races to the side to escape its vengeful slashes and her rune activates again. Her rapier forms in her hand as everyone else has already begun their own attacks upon it.

The wind and flying ice are so strong it is hard to keep her rapier steady as she swings and lashes in defense but it hardly even knicks the creature before she is forced to run back and away to try again. They are all putting in considerable efforts to try and bring the beast down but it is too angry to be easily subdued. Sol, Noctis and Militis are the back of the creature, trying to immobilize it but with its continuous thrashing about and the weather working against them, they are not able to do much. They are also clearly visible with their insignias flashing so brightly. Without warning, the monster leaps into the air towards those of them on the ground in an attempt to dislodge the three on its back. It crashes down into the snow and the reverberations cause Stella to lose her footing and stumble backwards.

She rolls over quickly and pulls her hood off her head to stare at what is happening. The beast is still twisting about and she can see Noctis hanging on by the hilt of his sword which is embedded into the its back. She cannot see Sol and she cannot see Militis. She cannot clearly see anyone else, but she can make out forms on the snow and hopes that they are still alive. Shouting proves useless because she can hardly hear her own words that are coming out of her mouth. Impossibly, the beast is the one that seems to hear her as it suddenly rears it's head to glare at her.

_Stella, run!_ she hears from Noctis, but where is she to run to?

There is only one place she can go and she does not even have time to think it through before she's running as fast as she can through the pounding snow and heavy ground. It feels like she is running through water. She does not even try to look back as she runs and runs. There is another deafening roar combined with its pounding pursuit of her. She can hear Noctis trying to slow it down so she can make it through their connection. The cave is just in sight and she can see enough to know that it has not all collapsed with the force of the creature's previous exit. Just as she reaches the opening she jumps towards the left wall quickly to just barely avoid its snapping jaws as it crashes into the cave, past her. It's crash causes a gust of air to blow into her body as she quickly gets to her feet and ready for another attack.

It had collided with the solid barrier of the wall and was covered in huge chunks of rock and ice. She could only see its hind legs and its massive tail, but it was not moving. The only sounds were the crumbling sounds of more rolling pieces of ice and the fierce storm outside. She is too afraid to breathe as she slowly approaches the prone body and tries to find Noctis. Her rapier is ready in her hand to strike if she so much as finds it twitching from aftershocks. The other sounds seem to disappear except the rapid beating of her heart as she begins to panic in her search for Noctis. The threat of danger was still not gone so she cautiously stepped closer towards the body of the massive creature to see if she could see Noctis. Just as she was within range, its massive tail swipes at her, causing her to fly towards the far wall and hit it with crushing intensity. The wind is burst from her as she bounces off the wall and falls, falls and lands in warm arms.

"Stella!" cries Noctis as he lowers her gently to the ground.

She tries to answer him but coughs instead. Coughs in hacking heaps that she cannot stop and there is a burning pain too. To her horror it is her own blood that she coughs up and unintentionally spits onto him. She cannot speak, only try to get as much of it out of her throat so she can just breathe. She ends up heaving in quick gasps of air but it hurts so much to breathe. There is a fire inside her abdomen and she knows that some of her ribs must be broken. She wants to breath so badly but to do so brings tears to her eyes. He grips her shoulder and she cries out in pain from where the ice had pierced her shoulder earlier. A black gloved hand comes into her vision and she sees that it is covered in her blood. It is not the kind of blood that signified a mere flesh wound, but a blood that is thick and warned of mortal wounds. There is absolute panic in those beloved red eyes as he looks down at his hand and at her face. Those eyes stare down at the blood that is all hers and is all over him. She wants to tell him that she is all right. It hurts, hurts so very much but she will be all right if they just got help here fast enough. She cannot speak it so she tries to send it to find that he is not listening to her. His mind is in too much in anguish to allow her to get through and then she can hear something else.

The monster is moving again. It is moving and it is up and it is seething as it bears its teeth at their two figures. Pain shoots through her and she gurgles a cry out to try and warn him. The look in his eyes is an expression she has never seen before and it scares her. No, it absolutely frightens her because he is no longer the level headed, Noctis that she loves. He was now something else. He was someone else entirely. Red eyes turn a shining scarlet and both are glowing dangerously as his spine stiffens at the growling behind him. He looks down at her and just marginally, she can see her Noctis staring back at her as he lowers her gently onto the freezing floor. She can see his chest heaving and there is steam coming out of his mouth as he slowly gets to his feet.

She tries to tell him something, anything because she does not like that look in his eyes, but he cannot hear her. She is sure that he cannot hear anything as he and the beast face off against each other. There is the sound of a roar that deafens her ears and the sounds of crunching ice. What follows is a fierce holler of absolute hate that stuns her. Stuns her completely when she realizes that it is coming from Noctis. With another roar of challenge, the beast beats down to crush Noctis with its massive claws when she sees the brightest blue light ripple off his body in waves. It builds and builds until he screams again and it shoots out of him and crashes into the attacking monster. The two entities collide but the creature is not strong enough for this power. It screeches in agony as the blue light tears through its body, causing it to disintegrate before her eyes until it is nothing but dust that blows away with the remaining force of power.

There is the ear popping sound of a sonic boom that causes the entire mountain to shake. The blue force is not finished. She can feel the very base of the mountain shake and begin collapsing around her and she is powerless to even move. She cannot even fully breathe with the intense pain in her ribs and the throbbing of her shoulder. Her eyes can only see the still form of Noctis as he stands above her. She can look at nothing else but his back, even as the walls around her are crumbling. The loud cracking sounds above her makes her eyes leave him to look above them and see that soon the both of them will be crushed under the immense weight of the cave. A part of her wonders if this was the end. She looks at Noctis, who has finally turned around to look at her and thinks that she did not mind if it was. Even if this Noctis was a stranger to her, it was still Noctis and she would be with him in the end.

When she looks up into those red eyes again, it is her Noctis that stares back at her now. He looks afraid, but nothing like the dreadful fear that had forced him to kill the monster a moment before. Quickly, he rushes to her and pulls her into his embrace and they both disappear before the entire roof crushes them.

There is not much she can do besides concentrate on her next breathe as they return to the freezing temperatures of the outside. It is a blessing and a reprieve to acknowledge that the storm has passed and things were calm now, but it was still so cold. It was so very cold and all she could hear were the distant shouts of people she knew that she should recognize but everything is so foggy. Everything looks so fuzzy now and she can only really hear the beating of her frantic heart. She tries to say something but all that comes out are more hacking coughs that make her tear up in agony. Everything seems so far away except for the arms that hold her but it hurts. It hurts to be held, even in his arms and she does not think she can stand it.

There is the faint sound of rushing feet and there is a blurry head that peers into her face, but she cannot see through her tears. She feels the vibrations of words being spoken from Noctis and she is suddenly taken from his arms. As much as it had hurt to be held within them, she would rather be in agony within them than to be without them. She feels her back straighten and a cry is ripped from her throat as she is being placed in a stretcher. Her hand clenches and opens in search of him but she cannot find him with it. He does not reach for her hand. Nobody is reaching for her searching hand. She lets out another cry that must have been mistaken for pain because she feels a pierce of a needle in her skin and feels a numbness start to take over her body.

_No, no, Noctis. I want Noctis!_ She cries within her mind but nobody can hear her. Her hand reaches out blindly, desperately again but she is being taken away from him. She can feel the distance as it widens between them. _No! No!_

There is the sound of doors closing and the sensation of taking off and a voice telling her that everything was going to be okay. She wants to scream. She wants to beg. She wants Noctis! Her voice is not working. Why is her voice not working!

Then, the numbness sets in and her last thought before she is overcome with a drug induced sleep is that leaving him now was the worst thing that she could have possibly done.

* * *

End Notes: I did not mean for this cliffie to be so intense. It blew me away as I was writing it out. The original ending was more uplifting but I have to admit, I didn't want a happy ending for this. So, I changed it and this is what came out. This ends the _Glacialis Regnum_ chapter. Phew! As always, any updates will be added to my profile. I do not expect to have anything by way of a teaser up within the next few days, but you never know. I get inspiration everywhere and tend to write at the most inconvenient of times.


	16. Certus

A/N: This one would have been out sooner but... yeah. There will be at least two more chapters to this before this particular storyline is finished. I am sad to say that because I love this series. I decided to keep it with Stella's POV cause it added more suspense and mystery to it.

Certus is latin for "settled, resolved, decided".

_**Certus**_

Within the oblivion of her mind, she knew, she just knew that she was not dead. It was a comfort, this knowledge. Even gripped within the drug induced haze, it was calming to know that she was still among the living. For in death, one is supposed to leave their body were they not? To become a spirit and spirits do not feel physical pain and it was her intense pain that kept her hopeful. To be alive meant that she was still with Noctis. She had died before and pain had not been something that she would have associated with her time being so. Not that she could remember anything anyway from that time. All she had recalled was intense heat and hurt in her chest. She remember Noctis' face above her and the look in his eyes and then she knew no more. The next she knew again, she was standing upon the battlefield between two angry armies and one had been her own.

There are voices that talk around her. She cannot discern what they say but she can tell from their tones what they must be feeling when they speak. Some voices are soothing. Some voices sound angry. Yet most seem concerned and she wonders if it is for her. There is one voice though, that always stands out from the rest. One voice that she always strains the most to hear and understand. One voice that she cherishes above all the others. She wants only to hear that voice and she misses it when it is not there.

With eyes that cannot open, her other senses seem enhanced. She is aware though she can give no sign of being so. Even with the paralysis of unmoving limbs, she knows when she is being touched too. Sometimes she can feel a hand when she hears the voices. It soothes her even as it strengthens her belief that she is not dead. It is awhile before she realizes that, that voice, that most sought for voice was never accompanied by the touch of a hand. She cannot understand why that is and she finds she craves for that touch as much as she craves for the sound. A touch that never comes and even in this vegetative, half aware state, she is bereft without it. She needs both the voice and the touch of its source to keep herself alive.

Then, blue eyes open, slowly and blink several times as they adjust to working again after being idle for so long. She hears the crackling of a nearby fire and the heat of it reaches the tips of her toes. A few more blinks and she knows she has awoken at the dark of night. The curtains of her bed are drawn, but one and that is where the person sitting beside her bed can see her. She cannot really focus on who it is and so her eyes roam about the room. As the haziness clears, she knows where she is and she sighs aloud in relief. It is a sigh that mobilizes her visitor, even as it surprises her that it was not accompanied with too much pain. There is still a heaviness though, but she cannot think to much on that now.

"Stella!" says a quiet but eager voice.

"Sa..." she croaks and he is up and ready with a glass of water in his hand.

He puts the end of a straw into her mouth and she drinks it gratefully.

"Thank goodness you are awake," he says as he pulls the cup away from her.

"Sapien, Noctis," she says weakly. "Where is Noctis?"

"Stell?" asks a sleepy voice. "Stell!"

It is not long before Des' blond head is in view too.

"Stell! You're awake."

"How long have I been asleep?" she asks. From the way they look, both tired and somewhat unkempt, it must have been awhile.

"Three days," answers Sapien.

She gulps with a gasp. "Three?"

"The curing process was not done in time so it is taking longer to heal you. You had us on a whirlwind, Stell," Des whistles a little to emphasize his point.

"How did I get here?"

"Noct insisted," answers Sapien. "He argued that Glacialis was not the best place to be in, in your condition."

"Where is he?"

Both men look at each other nervously.

".Noctis? Is he all right?" she asks quickly.

"Noct's... Noct," answers Des lamely.

"No," she says closing her eyes with a shake of her head. "Not again. Not this again."

"Don't overexcite yourself," says Sapien as he puts a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

"I want to see him," she says firmly, but she can already feel her strength leaving her. _No, not now! _"Sapien, make him come to see me." Her eyes fight to stay open but she has over extended her strength.

"I will Stella. I will," she hears Sapien say and it is enough.

It is enough to ease her so that she does not fight when oblivion claims her again.

"You are such a foolish girl," sneers a voice. "Why do you stubbornly keep trying to make him stay with you?"  
The figure that appears before her is exactly how she has seen it depicted in many pictures. Those same pictures that she has seen since her childhood. It is as ugly as it is beautiful. It glows with a deathly white that is only fitting. For this was Death herself that stood before her. Death, a goddess and to her, also a rival.

"It is not I that am the foolish one," she answers firmly.

"You think you know," answers the goddess. "You both think you are so very clever. You both know nothing at all."

"I know enough to realize that you are being irrationally possessive of a man."

"So are you."

"But I am a woman. I can be."

"Do not talk to me as if you have anything to teach," Etro snaps at her.

"Then stop acting like one who needs it," she answers smoothly.

There is something about the look in Etro's face that makes her pause.

"Why are you trying so hard to break Noctis and I apart?"

"You do not belong together."

"You are lying."

"You were meant to be with Sol, girl," and she spits out the word girl as if it were a disgusting thing.

That did not sound right either and she could tell that the goddess knew it too.

"It really does not matter what you believe. It only matters what Noctis believes," says Etro.

"You put that idea in his head," she accuses. "You are the one who keeps telling him that I was meant for Sol when that is a total lie."

"It should be telling that he believes me so easily," points out Etro.

"You have tricked him. You are playing on his insecurities to drive us apart. But, do you even really care if Noctis and I are together?" This sounded more like a mind game, than a love game.

"We are all keenly interested in the relationships of your kind. What else are we to do with eternity?"

"You are playing us like pieces in a game. A very dangerous game."

Etro shrugs indifferently and there is something very suspicious about the way she is carefully nonchalant. She has seen Noctis do it enough times to see the signs in someone else.

"Humans," scoffs Etro. "Always thinking you are the center of the universe. It does not all revolve around you."

"Whatever it is. Whatever grand scheme that you are planning. I am going to fight you," she vows.

Etro screeches a laugh that makes her ears hurt. "You think you can fight a goddess, little girl?"

"I will fight," she reaffirms. "Even if it means that I will lose."

"And lose you shall, you foolish girl," Etro answers as she vanishes from her sight.

This time, blue eyes fly open and are immediately alert as they gaze about the room. She must have also made a noise because not a moment later, a concerned Tonitrus comes into view.

"Stella!" he booms and she has to try her best not to cringe too much at the loud sound of it.

She thinks her ears might even be ringing from it when Procella's face comes into view too.

"Oh thank heavens, Stella!" cries Procella, but she is more mindful of her volume. "I almost did not believe them when they said you had awoken briefly last night."

She feels something cold and wet on her lips when she cannot reply. They part to allow a couple of small ice cubes to moisten her mouth. The coldness of the ice is soothing to her hot, parched mouth.

"I need to tell everyone," says Tonitrus and he tries to keep his booming voice down this time as he rushes out.

"You are all truly all right," breathes Stella in relief. "I could not even think..."

"Militis and Sol are also injured, though not as badly as you," relates Procella.

"How bad are they?"

"On the mend," she says. "I am very sorry, Stella."

"What for?"

"I should have kept a closer monitor on all monster activity."

"This is not your fault," she says.

"It could have been prevented."

"You sound like Noctis," she teases and she looks closely at the other woman when she asks her next question. "How is he?"

Procella's hesitation is enough to warn her but she needs to hear whatever it is.

"Unbearable," the demure woman finally sniffs. "When he is not demanding how your progress is, he is out killing something I am sure."

"Killing something?" she asks confused.

"Well, maybe not exactly. I think Vires mentioned he was holed up somewhere."

She does not know why, but she can picture him standing on that highrise and looking out over the city like some sort of dark avenging angel.

"It was his idea to bring us all here to get better," continues Procella. "He insisted that we would be better treated here."

That was true. Nihilsomno was still the leader in all medical and technical advancements. They would have had access to all the latest and most potent cures available. She was glad to be here regardless and within these rooms. Noctis had decorated these rooms with her in mind. It had warmed her as it does now that he knew her well enough to fashion a set of rooms just to her liking and she loved them. She loved his city too. This city, this dark and mysterious city was fast becoming more of a home to her than her own country.

"Where is Astra?" she asks.

"She is catching up on some rest," says Procella. "Tonitrus and I relieved her and Fulgur an hour ago."

"So you took turns watching over me?" she asks in surprise.

"Of course we did," admonished Procella as if to think otherwise was silly. "How would we explain ourselves to Noctis?"

It is meant to be the only reason but Stella is smiling. She knows better. Noctis aside, Procella was not one to be bossed around in anything.

Then Procella looks serious. "Stella, your injuries..."

"I do not want to know," she says cutting off the other woman.

"But..."

"There is no use in knowing," she says dismissively. "I am alive and I am already feeling better. I just want to know when I can leave and why Noctis is not here to see me."

Procella looks a mixture of impressed and amused at her last statement.

"Stella?"

"Mira!" she cries softly as she sees the young girl in her doorway.

Mira looks on the verge of tears before she runs over to Stella's side. It looks like she wants to hug her fiercely but is not sure of her injuries. So she ends up hugging Stella's legs and putting her face against her knees.

"We should have been there."

"Oh now, sweetie. Don't be silly," she says running her hands through violet hair.

Mira's wine colored eyes look up at her in worry.

"I am going to be fine," she reassures her with a warm, confident smile. "Just give me a bit of time." She looks to the other side of the bed to see another pair of worried wine colored eyes. "I will be fine. Really."

He does not look completely convinced but he does not protest when she reaches over to squeeze his hand either.

"I feel so very loved that everyone has been keeping such vigilant watch over my recovery."

"Noctis would have our hides otherwise," comments Vitrum.

"Then he should be here too then," she huffs and it makes Vitrum smile.

"But he does come, Stella," says Mira quickly.

"He is always here," agrees Vitrum.

"Except when I am awake," she remarks sardonically.

It is Vitrum who squeezes her hand this time and it makes her smile at him again.

"He is afraid," he tells her.

Blue eyes blink at burgundy in question. "Afraid?"

Mira nods and so does Vitrum.

"Stella," says a new voice and she turns her head to greet the new comer.

"Sapien," she says and she is glad that he has come. She looks at the other three in her room. "Could you give us a few moments?"

"Come along then," says Procella to the twins. "We have to visit Sol and Militis next."

"I am so glad you are finally awake, Stella," says Mira as she squeezes her hand.

"We'll see you later," says Vitrum with a small smirk that she is sure he is learning from Noctis. It makes her smile brightly at him in response.

"Do not over excite yourself," whispers Procella like a chastising mother and it makes her want to giggle like a little girl. She nods in affirmation as they leave and close the door behind them.

She and Sapien exchange warm smiles before he comes to sit by her.

"Sapien, I saw Etro," she says quickly, her face becoming serious now that the twins were gone. There is this heavy weight on her chest that she cannot shake. "She came to me in my dreams."

"What did she say?" he asks, completely alert.

"It is not just jealousy that is motivating her actions. There is something else going on. Something she wants. Have you been able to recover anyone of the lost legends?"

"My progress has been stopped with the events of late," he says grimly.

Recent events being worried over Noctis, taking over for Noctis when he had been away on the officials visits and spending an extra week on a vacation that he had no time for last month in Lux Solis and countless other things.

"This is all her doing," she says. "She has been using me to distract Noctis and in turn, distract you and your progress. That must be the real reason. You need to continue your research and it must take priority now. There must be something there that she does not want us to find."

Sapien blinks at her behind his glasses and she can see the understanding as it quickly dawns in his eyes. "That has to be it," he agrees.

"Sapien, you must find out what it is and fast."

"Stella, what about the temple to Etro in Tenebrae?"

"What about it?" she asks. She had not made any plans to rebuild it after Noctis and them had destroyed it so many months ago.

"Do you have the schematics to it?"

"You are wondering if they could have had a hidden archive," she says, trying to think.

He nods.

"I have not had much time to go through my father's belongings," she says. His things had been virtually untouched because she had, had no time at all to concentrate on them either. Her mind had been on other things too.

"Would you mind if I took a look?" he asks.

"Why did I not think of that before?" she asks as she mentally kicks herself. They had all been too distracted to do what was more important. Her own thoughts had little revolved around anything not Noctis. What a foolish thing to do. To lax at such a critical time. It had been what Etro was hoping for all along. Distracting them from what they should have been doing. "Of course I do not mind if you look." She tries to sit up too fast in her excitement and cries out from surprise of the pain than the pain itself.

Sapien's on his feet and by her side in an instant. He puts a calming hand on her shoulder to push her back down.

"Steady there, Stella."

"Sapien, I need you to do this now. Please," she says urgently. "We have wasted enough time. I need you to find out what we are missing. I feel, I know that we do not have much time left. Whatever it is, it is coming soon. Please, as soon as you can."

"I will Stella. I will," he vows. "I'll tell Noct and be on my way first thing. I'll even take Grando."

Yes, taking Grando with him would make his progress faster. Two technological minds together would get things done much quicker.

"Good idea," she says as she forces herself to relax.

"And I did get Noct to come but you did not wake up," he says with a smirk.

"Bad timing," she says and they smile at each other. "I hope he was not too offended."

"He took it the way Noct always takes things," he answers and they both know how that is.

"He has to stop feeling so guilty about everything," she answers with a sigh.

"But he wouldn't be him if he didn't," shrugs Sapien.

She nods. "And I would not love him so much if he were not exactly the way he is," she sighs. "But I do not appreciate this bad timing. He is here and I am not awake."

Sapien nods. "Right now he is in a meeting with the council. You get your rest and I'll interrupt it to tell him that I am leaving for Tenebrae now."

"He will not mind your interrupting?" she asks.

"He hates meeting with the council," he answers.

So many years of playing an idiot in front of those very same men would be painful, she muses.

"Get well soon, Stella," he says as he moves towards the door.

"Sapien!" she calls out urgently. He turns to regard her. "Be careful. We are all in danger now."

"I grew up helping, Noct. I won't let him down now," he says with a smirk.

She smiles at him but she is still worried when he leaves. She cannot help the feeling of dread as she sits there alone. Was it a smart decision to send him on such a mission? Would Etro let him find these secrets that she must be hiding or would she simply take him if he got too close? That caused another bout of anxiety and the pressure in her chest tightened. If anything happened to Sapien, Noctis would be absolutely lost. Losing him would be damaging in an entirely different way.

"Please, be safe," she whispers to the open air.

_Caution is the better part of valor, but that does not mean you do not fight at all._

"But to fight, would mean to suffer casualty," she sighs shakily as she leans her head back against her pillow. "No Sapien. Not Des. Not Vires. Not any one of the other Crystal Bearers. Not them, _please_."

The next she opens her eyes, she is greeted with the stunning green eyes of her friend. The two of them merely look at each other and smile, happy in the knowledge that the other was all right.

"Now, you have to catch me up," she says and from the look on Astra's face, she can tell that she has indeed, missed a lot.

"Where would you like me to start?"

"What happened to everyone after that thing knocked us all off our feet?"

"That horrific thing nearly crushed me with its tail!" exclaims Astra. "If it were not for Fulgur, I am sure I would have died. He grabbed me at the last second and rolled us to safety. Well, almost safely because the tip of it caught him in the leg!"

She tries to remember what the tail had looked like. Things had happened so fast that she had not had to time to properly assess everything. There is a vague moment where she remembers that the tail of the creature had, had spikes.

"How bad was his injury?" she asks as her eyes wide as she remembers how sharp they had looked.

"He was bleeding so much! I thought he had cut an artery but fortunately, not. He is limping now."

She is so relieved to hear that. "So, have you decided then?"

"Decided?"

"That you love Fulgur?"

Astra looks ashamed for a moment. "You must think me a fool," she laments. "I kept waiting."

"Waiting? Waiting for what?"

"To feel a spark," she explains. "Like what you must feel for Noctis. I kept waiting for that feeling to overwhelm me. Like it does for you."

As she looks into her friend's questioning eyes, she realizes just how different her love was compared to how everyone else's must be like. Her feelings for Noctis were all consuming and left no room for doubt. This was her love. This was her normal. This was her life. She had not actively sought the feeling. She had not waited for it. It had always been there. She had no idea what it was like to not feel this way. Then again her sense of normalcy was not normal at all. Not everyone had to rival a goddess. Not everyone had to fight a goddess. Not everyone loved the same.

"Do you mean you still have not felt it with Fulgur?"

"I think the problem may be that I do not know. I feel many things."

"Hence your interest in Sapien as well."

"Am I that obvious?" asks Astra as she turns a shade of pink.

"Sapien does not know, but the others do." It is a good thing that Sapien does not know either. He had not looked too pleased when she had mentioned it briefly to him before.

"You mean Noctis, Des and Vires know?" Astra looks completely mortified.

Stella bites her lip and cannot help but nod in confirmation.

"Oh my...," says Astra and she looks like she just might faint this time. She presses a hand against her forehead to rub at her temples.

"They will not tell him. Believe me," she tries to sound reassuring.

"That is only because they do not approve of me very much," Astra says mournfully.

"Why would you say that?" she asks. Even though she knows the reasons, she wants to know whether Astra can sense the right ones.

"They are all as polite as can be, but I can tell that they are careful around me. They do not speak as freely to me as they do everyone else," Astra sighs.

"I doubt they are any different with Procella," she reassures.

"True, but I would so love to be treated as they treat you."

"Me?" she asks in surprise.

"Yes," Astra says with a nod of her head. "They all admire and adore you. You are the embodiment of what a woman should be."

"That I would definitely not agree to," she protests. "Look at you, Astra. You are beautiful and charming and good."

Astra merely shakes her head but she smiles gratefully at her compliment. "I am only that way in your eyes. It is you who are the one that is truly good and beautiful and charming. You are also brave and courgeous and loving. I wish I could be more like you."

That anyone would look at her with such high regard was altogether puzzling. She lived her life as she always had. The best that she could and the fullest that she could. There was no other way to live. She loved her life and she loved the people sharing in it with her. She loved it all, even with the bleak and uncertain future. A future that was that much more uncertain when her other half was so reluctant to risk her life to gain a better one.

"Will you tell Fulgur?" she asks bringing the subject back.

"I have already," says Astra. "I felt so terrible when I did."

"Why? You told him the truth instead of lying."

"But I know I hurt him," Astra answers guiltily.

"You would have hurt him far worse by lying," she says.

Astra is silent and cannot meet her eyes. Her red curls are like a curtain to hide her face in shame.

"You did the right thing by being upfront," she says. "What did he say when you told him?"

Astra does not say anything and when she looks up, she cannot meet her eyes. "He said he would wait," is the quiet reply.

That response made her heart go out to Fulgur. To wait, was a great testament to just how intense Fulgur's feelings were for Astra. He was not one who liked to wait for anything. He was far too impatient and his very movements were just so fast. She always felt as if she were standing too close to electricity whenever he was near her, like lightning would. That such a quick and impatient man as Fulgur had said he would wait made her heart ache just a little bit for his sake. She hopes that one day, Astra will realize that she loves him too. For there are loves that come quietly and softly to fruition. The kind that creeps upon you unawares and hits you one day out of the blue. Much like lightning. She just hopes that Astra does not realize it too late.

"Maybe you can help me, Stella."

"Help you? How?"

"I want you to tell me how Noctis makes you feel and then maybe I can be better prepared."

"What I feel for Noctis is..."

"No, I want you to write it down so I can refer to it."

"I really do not think that is necessary."

"Yes, I need a guide. I get lost so easily. Simple minded as I am," says Astra.

She wants to argue but Astra is adamant.

"I want you to tell me what you felt when you first saw Noctis. When you first kissed him. When he first told you that he loved you."

"It goes not feel the same for everyone," she tries to argue.

"Just a guide, remember?" Astra says with one of those smiles that is very hard to refuse.

"But you cannot just..."

"Something tells me that you will not be sleeping much tonight. So it can at least be something to keep you a little busy."

There was nothing she could say in argument to that.

"Now, I think I know what you need right now."

She looks at her friend with hopeful eyes.

"Come, let me help you to the bath."

She absolutely loved her friend and if, for repayment, she wanted a simple glimpse of what it was like for her to love someone like Noctis, then she would do it. The process had been slow and a little bit painful but there was nothing like a long, hot soak in a large tub to make you feel a little bit human again. They had taken the liberty of unpacking her toiletries for her and she was soon engulfed in her most favorite scents as she started to feel more like herself. Maybe it was the thickness of the air, but she still did not feel like she could properly breathe. She wondered if maybe it was because the pain in her injuries still lingered. Once she had finished with soaking and a little bit of gentle scrubbing, Astra had helped her out and brushed her hair. It made her feel so much better and so refreshed.

How well her friend knew her. She was right of course. Later that evening, when she had finally managed to shoo away Des and Vires for the night. Once they had gone and the only sounds had been the crackling of the fire, she found she could not sleep anymore. She could not stand to be within a bed any longer, especially after this long. She had been in it for four straight days and she could take it no longer. After being properly bathed and putting on something other than the stand issue hospital gowns, she had felt restless to be alone. Now that she was finally alone, she needed to get out of the bed. Something that Des and Vires had been very pushy about not letting her do. Now, they were not here to stop her. A fidgeter did not do well in confinement after all.

So, slowly, very slowly and carefully, she pushed the covers away from herself and gently pushed her body so that her legs could swing down. The tips of her toes touched the cold, hardwood floor and she shivered from the contact. She was very thankful for Astra's foresight in laying a pair of fuzzy slippers where she could easily slip her feet into them. Then, taking a few breathes, she bent her knees and lifted herself onto shaky legs. Once, she had straightened and was confident enough, she moved with small steps to the comfy looking oversized chair in front of the fire, where someone seemed to have left a blanket draped along its back.

When she reaches for it, she does not know whether to be relieved or embarrassed as she sees what it actually is. It was not a blanket. It was Noctis' leather jacket. How it could be there could only be explained by Noctis. Only the two of them and possibly Etro, knew the significance of her having his jacket and she doubts the goddess was gracious enough to give it to her. So that only left Noctis and she found herself forgiving him just a little for his absence. If he could not be here, then at least a part of him would be.

Carefully, she wraps it around her shoulders as she settles into the comfy chair. She sighs in relief as she sinks into its softness and enjoys the fire. Her eyes follow the flames as they engulf the heavy logs and sees the intense heat within. The heat of the fire and the crackle of the flames were the two things that filled the dark room around her as she snuggled within Noctis' jacket. He must have worn it again recently because his scent was stronger than it had been before. It made her picture him. She could see him as clearly as if he were really before her. That face, those eyes, that mouth, those hands that all combined to be him. Him, this perfect man, that seemed to be created just for her. No matter that he drove her insane with his constant doubt. She finds she loves that about him too.

She can remember that first time that they had met and it reminds her of Astra's request. So she reaches into the pocket of her Pjs and brings out a small journal and a pen that her friend had left for her. Opening up the journal, she takes a moment to appreciate the natural, woodsy paper that smelled of redwood and mountains. It reminds of their visit to Infervesco and their competition within the forest. There is a fond smile on her face when she recollects how Noctis had teleported her away for a kiss, but she is getting ahead of herself. That was not what she was supposed to write about. So she thinks back to that fateful night that she had first met Noctis.

"The first time, ever I saw your face," she says aloud in thought. "I thought the moon rose in your eyes. Like the light was the gift you gave to the dark and endless skies." It takes her a moment to write her words before she continues.

"The first time, ever I kissed your mouth," she stops a second to think about this one. "I felt the world move in my head and my heart trembled like that of a captive bird." She remembers that kiss as if it had happened yesterday. Even then, he had been full of doubt and denial. She had kissed him to show him just how much they craved each other.

"The first time, ever you said you loved me," she says and her thoughts go that night on the beach. She had thought the world had ended and she had never felt such despair in her life. Then he had been there and had said the most beautiful and poetic things in apology. "I felt your heart so close to mine." He had opened their connection again and she felt that blessed feeling of being whole once again.

"And I knew joy would fill the world and last until the end of time."

"Even though our lives may not even last nearly as long?"

She looks up as she hears that most needed voice and sees the face that she has so dearly wanted to see. He is standing within the shadows with only his silhouette visible. She can see how tense he looks, how nervous. She feels nervous too, at seeing him again but it does not stop her from being resolute.

"We may die but my joy shall remain," she answers.

"Joy? What joy can be had when all around us is so black?"

"The joy is that I have you," she says as she feels her eyes sparkle as she looks at him.

He moves out of the darkness then and she can see his face so clearly now. Oh how much she had needed him, right here and right now. Now, he was here. There are no words to even express her joy as he approaches to kneel before her. She cannot help but to reach out to touch his face as he comes closer. Her eyes and her fingers trace along his cheeks and pass over the scar, her scar by his chin, before running them through his impossible midnight hair. When her eyes return to his, she does not have it in her to be upset that he had not come before. He looks so afraid of what had happened and what will happen. What self deprecating thoughts had been running through his mind, she could only guess. To say something harsh to him now would only damage him further. She would not stop on him in his vulnerable state.

His eyes move to her lips then and she can see that he remembers. He knows he is not allowed to kiss her lips and he still has not quite decided yet. This disappoints her but she knows she needs to have firm resolve and patience. His eyes linger on her mouth but he will not ask her. She knows this and loves him all the more for it. So his eyes finally settle on the scar on her chest, as it peaks through the V of her shirt. Red eyes look up into hers to seek permission and she breathes a heavy sigh, but a reassuring smile makes its way onto her lips and she nods her assent.

With her hands in his hair, she guides his head as he lowers his face to lay a kiss upon her scar. His lips linger as if he is paying homage, before he turns his face to rest against it. Tears swell up in her eyes as she presses his head against her chest and she can feel how worried he has been. She runs her hand through his hair again to soothe him, to reassure him that she was all right as she feels his arms gently wrap around her waist. They sigh together as she kisses his hair and she can feel the tension within him release as he breathes out. This makes her so glad. Glad that she could being such a powerful man such comfort. It is the steady sound of her heartbeat that reassures him that she is, indeed, still alive.

"There is no word, no expression, no gesture that can accurately convey just how much I feel for you," he says against her scar. "To say that I love you would be a mockery to how intense I feel for you. Love is just not an accurate word for it."

She smiles at his choice of words, even as she feels her heart soar at his confession.

"Love is just not an accurate word at all," she agrees because she feels the same way. What she felt for him was too intense, too powerful to only use one simple term.

She runs her hand through his hair once more and it is a few moments before either speak again.

"Sapien told me of you theories," he says.

"I worry for his safety. I worry for all their safety," she says as she feels the fear grip her again. "Something is not right. Etro has distracted us too well."

"She will not hesitate to take any one of them," says Noctis darkly and she can feel his arms tighten around her. "What I did to that creature..."

"You did it to save us."

He tickles her when he shakes his head. "I did it because I thought it had killed you. I had no thought of the others."

"You care for them too. I know you do."

"If something should happen to you.... If you were to die... I, I do not know."

"Do not let that be an excuse," she says pushing him way so that she can look into his face. She grips the sides of his face to fully press her point. "You are not sparing me by pushing me away. We fight together and we die together. Never alone and never to be parted. That is how it is meant to be."

She feels her heart tighten even further as he goes rigid and his eyes do not meet hers. He breathes in sharply and she can see the wheels of his mind turning. When he looks back at her, his eyes are no longer uncertain and she can see that he has finally made his decision. It causes her to hold her breathe.

"Then," he says as he reaches to touch her face too. "Let us fight together."

And just like that, the heaviness in her chest is lifted and she can finally, fully breathe again.

* * *

End Note: Does anyone have any theories?

I also referenced the song, "First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" ... everyone has done a rendition but I was listening to the live version of Leona Lewis. I don't care for the studio versions because they lack any sort of feeling usually. But live versions are so much better to me.


	17. Decerto

A/N: This last month has been one of the most chaotic months of my life. My only reprieve has been in writing this story and this is the climax. Be forewarned. The final fight has begun ...

Decerto is latin for "Fight to the finish".

_**Decerto**_

A distraction. A deception. A lie. From one liar to another, one thing always held true. The best kind of lie was one that was also a half truth. For it was the half truth that made the deception seem believable. It made the entire lie seem plausible to one who was too distracted to notice. It had been how he had kept his facade for so long. Though Etro's jealousy was not entirely the reason she so viciously sought to separate Stella and himself, it was a part of it. To find that Stella had figured this out while he had completely missed it makes him feel some what of an idiot. He who should have known better than to only see the surface and not notice what the underlying reasons could be. It made him feel inferior. Not inferior to Etro however, but inferior to Stella. Normally, this would have been reason to find a measure of guilt if not for the said superior being telling him that she loved him, all of him anyway.

That she should love him no matter how ignorant he had been, baffles him now as it had baffled him that first time she had ever said it. He does not think he would ever think differently than this. He was so terribly unworthy of her. So unworthy of her brightness, of her light. Though, this acknowledgment does not mean that he was ever going to let anyone or anything else stand in the way of his having her. His mind had been set. He would fight _with_ Stella. He would fight _for_ Stella. He would fight _to keep_ Stella. No matter the consequence. No matter the risk. No matter the sacrifice. There would be nothing if it was not with her.

_What are you more afraid of? To live with Stella or to die without her?_

The time Etro had asked him that, he had not really known. At least, he had not thought he did. Until not a moment afterwards Etro had restored Stella back to life. It had been a split moment of panic that had been the deciding factor of his real answer. He had been afraid to die without her then. It was the same now. He was not afraid to live with Stella at all. That had been a surprise. For he had in all truth, been afraid to live at all. Yet, life with Stella seemed to make his world seem not so bleak. It was not so dark. To die without her just did not seem worth it. He thinks Etro knew this before he did. She had to. There was no other reason for her to do this.

All this makes him wonder just what it was about him that seemed to attract the attention of the gods in the first place. He was not very special in his own right. He was a prince in a world where there were many. Why was it his crystal that had lasted the longest? Was it because of his lineage? His parents? Was it just a coincidence of fate that he was the one that was born with this curse of never ending night? He could use the excuse of heritage but what of the others? Procella, Sol, Fulgur and Astra had been part of lingering monarchies true, but that did not explain why Mira, Vitrum, Militis, Tonitrus and Grando had been chosen. Those last five had not been part of any ruling family until after they had been chosen to be Crystal Bearers.

What was it that qualified a person to harness such power? It was not just seeing the Light. They did not all see it. He had learned that right away. It had been one of the first things he had asked them individually when they had all been discovered. What an exciting time that had been for him. He who had felt it when each of the new crystals had been activated. There is a part of him that feels their individual life forces within himself. Another thing that he cannot explain. That he could feel their crystals like he could his own, yet he could not communicate telepathically with them, except for Stella. To see others that could wield the powers of the crystals and to have evidence that he was no longer alone. It was a comfort as it was a thrill. It is that feeling of no longer being completely alone that gives him the patience whenever they try to attack his character. There are two that immediately come to mind for that. His patience is not unlimited but it is there and abundant when he needed it. Despite their differences, there is a level of contentment and ease at knowing that they all share this one thing that no one else can understand. That he was, indeed, no longer alone.

Another theory that did not quite reach the mark was that they were not all only children either. Grando was the youngest of five. Fulgur had a younger sister. Tonitrus was a middle child of three. He wonders if he would have still been chosen had he had a sibling too. He cannot say. His parents had been slaughtered before they could even try to produce another heir. There seemed to be no logical pattern nor clear answer as to why they had all been chosen. They most certainly could not have been chosen randomly. There must have been a reason. There must be something that they all possessed within themselves. He just could not figure it out. He wonders if he ever will.

Their personalities were all so very different. Some were unrelenting and strong. Some were passive and malleable. Yet others were just trying to discover themselves and could not be either. For, they were all young. Almost too young for what they were expected to do. The youngest being Vitrum and Mira at fourteen. The eldest being Militis and Sol at twenty four. The rest, himself included, fell into the middle. Putting such a weighty responsibility upon such a young group of people would not have seemed like a good idea, but then again, there is much that he is sure that he is missing.

That he should be the leader just did not seem to be quite right sometimes. There were ones within their group that were certainly more qualified. As much as he hated to admit it, Sol and Fulgur seemed much more knowledgeable when it came to leading a nation. Though vanity was Sol's strong suit, there was more to the sunny man than he let on to everyone else. A liar and a fool were things he was quite good at and from one fool to another, Sol was a fool. The man paraded around flamboyantly and with much flourish but Noctis knows better. Sol hid behind his facade as he had hid behind his all his life. It would be interesting to see just what he was hiding behind that pretty face of his. Fulgur, on the other hand, was coarse and a bit abrupt but he was true and he was honest. He did not beat around the bush and tell you things to stroke your ego. His honesty was so refreshing after a life filled with a sea of lies and hidden agendas. That and he was fast. Everything he did was so quick and efficient. There was not much you could not respect about a man like that. Yet, as sharp and intelligent as these other men were, it was he who had been chosen to be the leader instead. He is not sure he can the leader they need him to be.

It would have been different had it just been Nihilsomno that he was to rule. Now, he had to worry about the surrounding nations and beyond. His primary goal had been to make sure that his own people were taken care of. They had been through their own trials and he was not ignorant to them. True, their suffering had been rather small when compared to the sufferings of those outside their walls, but what kind of leader could he possibly be if he could not even care for his own? So he had immersed himself in the dealings and troubles of his people. Not just the people that had prominence and money, but the ones that had suffered the most. The ones that were often times overlooked. It was challenging when there were so many things that had been distracting him. He hopes that his people know that he was trying and he would do better. He would be better for their sake.

He felt this pressure to be better every time he had to meet with his council. Those critical and judging eyes of the very men who had watched and schemed against him ever since he had been a child. It was the fear of the crystals that prevented them from openly opposing his new authority over them. He was finally able to take advantage of their fear instead of feeling the fear himself. They still exchange nervous glances whenever it looked as if he were close to another outburst. It seems the time he had unwittingly smashed the chair against the wall was still fresh on their minds. They need not know that, that very same incident embarrassed him. He did not want them to think that he would have temper tantrums like some spoiled brat, but he sees the advantages of putting them on edge.

After the events at Glacialis Regnum, he feels very on edge himself. In that cave, seeing as Stella was thrown and smashed against a rock of solid, unrelenting ice, he does not think that he will ever forget the sight of it. He had even heard the cracking sound of her bones as they broke. The very jarring, crackling sound of her very crystal too. There was no thought, only reaction when he had caught her. The entire left side of her face looked like it would soon swell and bruise to twice its normal size. Blood was rushing out of her nose and when she had tried to speak, she had covered him in her life's essence. Wheezing, with small breathes were the only things to escape her lips. The pain, he saw the pain so clearly on her face. He felt it too. It had hit him through their connection. In an effort to calm her, he had put his hand on her shoulder, only to discover that she had already been injured there too. All he could see was her blood, everywhere. All he could smell was that tinge of copper. All he could feel was that familiar stickiness that seemed to seep into his skin and fill his nose. All around them, the white of the snow had been covered with her red blood. The white and the red and all he could see was the red.

Then he had panicked. Short gasps of air and his vision had gotten cloudy. He could feel his body shaking as it had shaken that last time. It reminded him so much of that last time. That last time that was the catalyst of his nightmares. That one horrific moment that played and replayed in his mind countless times since the day it had happened. He had been transported back to that time, that day, that moment. There was no comfort that it was a nightmare that he could wake from. It was reality. He was that child again, with quick panicked breathes who so dearly wanted to shake the life back into his parents. He thinks he would have shaken Stella had it not been for the hissing monster behind him.

What happened next was almost the same as well. He could feel something inside himself awaken. A power that he had not known that he had until that moment. His own blood felt like fire within his veins, but all he could really feel was just how much he hated that monstrous creature that had dared harm his Stella. He had felt his own eyes change and his vision had been strikingly clear. It reminded him very much of how things looked when his right eye glowed red. Only this time it had been both eyes and from them he saw things that no normal human could see. The creature was more than this massive body of impenetrable armor in front of him, but this complex organism that he could destroy. He saw the very workings of its body as it stood seething and roaring in front of him. Veins and muscles and organs that you could not possibly see were what he saw. Right in the middle, was the heart and that was what he would extinguish for what it had done to her. He does not remember roaring but he does remember feeling the energy within him burst forth and collide with his foe. There was no remorse and no holding back and he had watched in satisfaction as it had disintegrated to mere dust before him.

Instead of feeling drained after accomplishing such a thing, he had felt rejuvenated. He had felt renewed by the exertion. His skin and the very tips of fingers had tingled from the energy. He wonders what he must have looked like in that moment. At the time, he had no other thought but to check and see if Stella was all right. When he had turned to her, she had been looking at him with a mixture of awe and surprise and most extraordinary of all, acceptance. No fear. He would not have been able to see any sort of fear in her eyes and was so thankful to not see it there anyway. Any sort of fear towards him, that is. That would have crushed him and he cannot even find the proper words to express the admiration he felt at seeing that look of acceptance in her eyes instead. Even within that uncontrollable moment, she had known that he would never hurt her. Such faith. Such understanding. How was he ever to be worthy of her? For it was in that acceptance, that made him come completely back to himself. The consequences of what he had done and the dangers of when, not if, he did that again. That energy that he had felt had been too immense and destructive to be used again rushed to his consciousness. There was no guarantee that he would not do that again. It had only been extremely good circumstances that Stella had been behind him when he had done it rather than in front of him. What would happen the next time? Would it be her that would vanish before his very eyes because of what he was now capable of doing?

When he had teleported them outside to safety, Mira and Vitrum had already activated their insignias and were protecting the others from the elements. His brothers were shouting orders to the group of Crystalli that had come with them for the rescue. Everyone was rushing about to get the injured treated. He had gone to Sapien with a semi conscious Stella in his arms to find that they had not brought anything that would be able to properly cure her. So Vires had ordered a stretcher and Des had practically ripped Stella from his arms. His reaction had been to cling to her but then the self loathing had set in. It had been enough and he did not put up much of a struggle after that. But he had been adamant that they would not even think to take her back to that huge icicle that posed as a palace. No matter that it was easy on the eyes, it was dangerous to be in. It was even more so in the state that she had been in. What she had needed was to be warm and healed. To be stuck in that block of ice would not help her in spirit and in body.

The chaos around him did not register as he watched her being taken away from him to safety. Somewhere much safer than it was to be around him at that moment. He had not frightened her. How could he not have? With the amount of energy that had still lingered in his veins, he knew he was still volatile. It that had not stopped him from wanting to go with her though. Oh, how he had wanted to go with her. He had even fancied her hand reaching out for him when she was being taken away but he was sure that, that was not so. She had been in too much pain to be aware of anything. Let alone conscious enough to want to reach for him. It must have been a trick of his eye. Surely his mind had created it out of his own desire. She had needed to go and quickly. Her need had outweighed his and he took a measure of comfort in the fact that she would be rushed to where he knew she would be treated sufficiently. She would be well cared for in Nihilsomno and there was no other place he would rather have her be.

So naturally that had meant that everyone else would be taken there with her. It had not even occurred to him that Procella might be offended by this until she wasn't. She had merely raised an eyebrow and given him a knowing look that had unnerved him, before turning to order her people to help board everyone for their impromptu journey. Sapien had already alerted the castle to anticipate the sudden arrival of the Crystal Bearers. Des had gone ahead with Stella to make sure she had someone to watch over her. Vires was helping carry whatever had been needed. As for himself, he had wanted to go to Stella straight away but knew that there were many things that needed his attention. She was already gone and safely on her way. What had been left was to make sure that everyone was properly airlifted away. Yet, if he was being truthful to himself, he had delayed. A nag of doubt had rooted within his psyche that perhaps Stella's lack of fright had been shock. He had not ruled out that she had just been mindful of his feelings too. He had been afraid to face her again. He had been afraid to see that repulsed fear in her eyes.

The others had suffered varying degrees of injuries between them. Grando's clumsiness had most likely saved his life for he had gotten away with only a few minor scrapes and bruises. Fulgur had been on the wrong end of the spiked tail and caught his leg in order to save Astra. He thinks that a fine thing for them. Fulgur was a good man, who somehow loved Astra. She was a great fool and not the good kind of fool, if she refused him. Astra had escaped injury all together. Procella had, had minor injuries he was sure, only she had not complained. She had enough presence of mind to snip out a dismissal when he had tried to apologize for completely destroying a valued relic of her kingdom. Tonitrus had struck his head. So perhaps it had been a good thing that his head was the hardest part of him.

Sol had broken both his legs and Militis' arm and shoulder had been crushed when the monster had leapt to dislodge them. Both would be fine, eventually. They would have fared much worse if it had not been for the snow being so deep. It was broken bones rather than shattered bones. They say that you can tell a person's true character when they are wounded and close to death. In regards Militis, he had cursed so much it made a few blush and nearly punched the medic when the poor man had reset his shoulder. After that, they had made sure to sedate him during any more of the curing. Sol had not really said anything in complaint of the pain. He had just grit his teeth and bared it. His eyes had remained focused so shock had definitely not been his reason for silence. His only worry, when he had spoken, had been how long he would be unable to walk. Then there had been his second worry. The one that Noctis would have been worried about first.

"Where is Stella?" he had asked him as soon as he had seen him later, as they were assigning which rooms on the airship would carry who.

"She is already on her way to Nihilsomno," he had answered.

"How bad is she?"

"Bad." He did not need to say more than that.

Sol had shaken his head but there was the unmistakable look of awe and respect in his eyes. "Too fearless for her own good. That would have been considered foolish."

"I would not tell that to her," he warned.

The sunny man had gritted his teeth when he would have smirked as Noctis had helped the medics lift him on a stretcher to his rooms.

"I am envious of you," Sol had said as they were carrying him away.

"Why?"

"You have her," was the answer. "But that does not mean that I have given up!" The sunny man had shouted as they carried him around a corner and out of his sight.

The challenge made him smirk as he watched the other man being carried away.

"Noct, let me look at your wound," said Sapien, suddenly behind him as he had been staring at the corner where Sol had disappeared.

He had turned in confusion. "What? Why?"

"I want to know where the blood's coming from," Sapien said calmly.

"It is Stella's," he explained.

Sapien had given him a look that made him feel like a child. "That is your blood. Stella's would have dried on you by now," he said pointing at some area near his shoulder but he could not see in all the black he had been wearing. How Sapien had spotted it was something. "I've been around you too long not to notice when you're bleeding. Now come on over here to this medic and we'll see the damage."

It had taken him a moment to accept that he had indeed been injured and a moment longer to remember when he had been injured. As if to help him remember its existence, he had felt the wound begin to throb then. Amazing that one could feel pain in so delayed a time. He had not felt it a moment before but as soon as it had been pointed out, it had begun to sting and sting immensely. He let Sapien lead him into a small examination room within the ship and was left to remove his jackets and shirt as the medic prepared for however extensive the wound may have been. It was when he had been seated on the gurney that it had begun to come back to him.

He and Militis had gone into that cave Procella had indicated. It had started out unassuming enough but he had tried to be on his guard. They had not gotten very far before they had fallen. It had not been the slippery slide sort of fall as they had before, but the ground beneath their feet had simply given way without any warning. The sounds of their footsteps must have alerted the monster to their presence because as soon as the ground had given way, it had pounced upon them. He had, had no time to teleport before he had covered Militis from a large swiping claw that had caught him in the shoulder. His shield had activated around the claw and had amputated the lone digit that had pierced his shoulder and the monster had roared in pain. In reaction it had made to strike them again when Militis' weapons had sliced another digit clean off. Then everything had happened too quickly to really recall. He does remember joining powers with Militis and throwing the creature through the hard wall to where the others had been waiting within the main cavern. There had been the sudden worry that something may have happened to Stella but she had already known to shout that she was fine so that he could focus.

The wound in his shoulder would be fine of course, but he would not escape the inevitable bruising. No matter how effective the cure spell combined with the crystal energy, the bruising still remained. It was like a reminder of the injury. Like a remnant of what the pain could have been. His wound had been a little too deep so they had, had to put in a few stitches before a cure spell could work as it should. This part had not been a new experience either. His childhood had been full of run ins with pain like this. Like the time he had regained consciousness right after having severed Etro's arm. He had awoken where the nightmares had all formed. Back within the pool of his parents' blood and the stench that would forever be engraved within his brain.

It had been Sapien then as it still is now, that had found him and had stayed to calm him down when the other two had run off to get help. His brothers had always been there for him to rely upon, especially Sapien, even at so young an age. The one that was the closest to him of the three. His best friend that always understood and he was confident that if there was anything to be found in Tenebrae, Sapien would find it. He has been there for two weeks already. In his absence, everyone was completely on the mend. Sol, who had been unable to walk without the aid of crutches at first was now without his cane. Bones, no matter how powerful the cure, still took time to heal.

"We should have a special dinner," suggests Astra.

"What a way to end our tour," comments Fulgur.

"But we have definitely gathered some interesting stories," says Tonitrus.

"Some better than others," comments Procella.

"I happen to think that everyone enjoyed their visit to Lux Solis the most," grins Sol, knowingly.

"My most enjoyable experience has been the swamps of Loginquitas," admits Fulgur.

It is not a conscious thing when all the men, with the exception of Sol, turns to stare at Militis with a unanimous grin. The women look a mixture of bemusement and worry.

"That had not been funny," grumbles Militis as he starts to turn pink. "It is still not funny."

Which had only caused the other men to snicker.

"To who?" asks Procella as she chuckles too.

"I was stuck!" argues Militis.

"You seem to do that quite a bit," comments Tonitrus.

"I had not even thought one could sink so fast in quick sand," adds Fulgur with a chuckle of his own.

"How quick sand was even there was amazing," comments Vitrum.

"I cannot believe you enjoyed a week in the filthy swamps to my beautiful beaches," frowns Sol.

"That was my home!" cries Tonitrus in offense.

"It was very relaxing at both," says Stella to try to appease both men.

"Except for me," growls Militis. "And I was sinking so fast because of an air bubble, if you please."

"The swamp dragons were scary," confesses Mira with a shudder.

"Did you not also mistake a serpent for a vine?" Noctis adds in curiously.

Militis lets out a cry of impatience and throws his hands in the air.

"You did!" cries Sol with a laugh.

"Poor serpent," muses Procella with a smirk.

"That was a big one too!" shouts Vitrum.

"Can we talk about something else?" Militis asks while he turns a more reddish color now.

"It was also a hoot when Tonitrus scared Grando so badly that Grando nearly shot his head off in Inferus," muses Fulgur.

"I had not meant for that to happen," Tonitrus says sheepishly.

"I thought those headphones were noise proof," Noctis adds in.

"Exactly why I spoke so loud," defends Tonitrus.

"But I doubt you needed to have your mouth directly in his ear," comments Sol.

"Why did you need to speak to him anyway?" asks Militis.

"He was hitting everything but his target. Including mine," answers Tonitrus with a frown.

"A dinner sounds like a great idea," interrupts Stella before another feud can get underway.

"Do we really have to invite a lot of other people?" asks Mira with a pout.

"I do not want other people there either," agrees Vitrum.

"A dinner with just us sounds lovely," says Astra.

"I must say I agree with the children," agrees Militis.

"Do you really have to address them like that?" asks Procella for the twins' sake.

"When is Grando coming back?" asks Sol.

"Yes, we cannot have it if he is not here," agrees Fulgur.

"He will be here this afternoon," Noctis answers them.

"What about Sapien?" asks Mira.

"He said he had a few more things to look through."

"I suppose a lack of news means they have not found anything of what they went for?" reasons Fulgur.

"Nothing," answers Stella and the disappointment is evident in her eyes and in her voice. He felt that very same disappointment himself.

"So, we can have the dinner tonight?" asks Astra hopefully.

"It certainly sounds that way," says Procella.

"There will be a lunar eclipse tonight," adds Mira.

"Then we must have it in that penthouse banquet hall you have," says Sol to Noctis. "We would have front row seats to it."

"That sounds beautiful," says Astra dreamily.

He does not understand the queer expression that appears in Stella's eyes and the rush of anxiety that he receives from her through their connection just then. It immediately puts him on edge. He has seen that look on her face before, only it had been more pronounced then, but it was that look all the same. She had a very keen way of knowing that bad things were about to come and from how bad things had gotten the last time he saw her look that way, he was very wary. So when everyone begins to disperse to their own directions, he grasps her hand gently and leads her away so that they can have a moment alone.

"What is it?" he asks gently, as he reaches for her face. He had hoped to never seen this particular expression on her face again and he hates that it is there.

"I just, I just feel as if something bad is going to happen," she says. She is not quite looking into his face but at his neck. Her entire body is tense and he runs a hand through her hair as he pulls her closer to himself.

"It will be all right," he says but he knows better than to believe it. They both know better.

"I think I am just becoming paranoid, that is all," she says as he feels her relax in his arms. There is a measure of comfort when he feels her arms go around his waist. "It is probably the dread of being separated from the others."

He nods because he there is a part of himself that will miss the others too. He knows how things will go. They will promise to keep in touch but in the end, they will only speak to each other only when it is completely necessary to do so. It would never be the same and a small part of him will miss seeing them so regularly. Well, some more than others. He is sure he will not miss Sol and Militis' constant interruptions and arguments. Mira and Vitrum, he would definitely miss. Fulgur and Grando and the others too. He is not sure about Procella and it is more of a relief that Astra would be away from Sapien after this. It is not a shameful thing for him to admit that he did not like the idea of the union and was more than just a little relieved when he heard that Sapien had not even seemed to like the idea of him and Astra together either. He knows it was a sour point for Stella but he does not think he could bear his friend and closest brother to be stuck with someone like Astra.

"I will miss them too," he admits to her as he kisses her hair and he doubts he will ever really admit it to the others.

He can feel her giggle even as it reaches his ears and when she sighs, he can feel his own sigh escaping his lips.

"I am just being silly," she says pulling back to look up at his face. "Sentimental and all."

He smirks down at her before he reaches down to kiss her nose.

"I adore you, sentimental and all," he says.

There is the unmistakable sound of a landing airship outside and he loves the smile that reaches her lips as she hears it.

"Grando is here," she says with a bright smile up at him. "It means Sapien will be back soon too."

He nods.

"I will be so glad when he comes back," she admits. "I have been on edge ever since he left."

"I have as well," he confesses.

"Well, it seems like we will definitely be having dinner tonight," she says and her face takes on a different expression. He can see the wheels of her mind turning. Instead of that dreadful look, she has a scheming face that makes him smirk in relief.

"What plans must be hatching in your mind right now," he comments, but he is glad to not see that other expression on her lovely features.

"Wouldn't you like to know," she smirks back up at him. "I need to get ready for tonight."

He is smart enough not ask why she needs to do so, so soon. Instead he nods down at her and moves to kiss her forehead. In turn, she kisses the scar on his chin before she rushes away in the direction of her rooms.

As he watches her go, he has an irrational urge to snatch her back into his arms. Maybe this time he would have kissed her on the lips instead of on her forehead, as he has gotten to doing lately. He does not quite understand why he cannot kiss her lips just yet. It was certainly not for a lack of desire to. If anything his desire had only grown with the conviction of his decision. She had said he would be permitted to once he made his decision, but he has not succeeded in bringing himself to actually doing it. It almost seemed disrespectful to, almost as if it were not the right time to just yet. He does not understand this hesitation.

"You are playing a game with me," hisses a voice behind him.

He feels his spine stiffen in reaction before he squares his shoulders. Slowly, he turns around to stare at the one being that stood between him and his happiness. He does not think he could hate anything as much as he hates her.

"I am merely playing the game as you have set it," he answers blandly.

"Has my warning not even been put under consideration?" she asks indignantly. Her eyes are flashing at him. Perhaps, to someone else, they might have been considered frightening. Only they were not frightening to him. Not to one so accustomed to being around death.

"It has been heeded," he says calmly but his own red eyes flash with his defiance.

"Yet it will not stop you from your foolishness."

"Loving Stella has never been foolish," he retorts. "I doubt it will start to be now."

"You defy me for the last time, Dear One," she says. There is a strange look on her face that he does not know how to interpret. It was not entirely angry, as he would have thought. It looked almost of anticipation. "There are no more chances. Only a choice."

With that, she disappears.

His heart is racing as he wonders what she meant by that. No time to dwell on that now. He finds himself running into a teleport to Stella's room. He does not even stop to knock before bursting through her rooms, only to nearly collide with her in his haste.

"What is it? What is the matter?" she asks as he throws his arms around her and presses her roughly to himself.

"She knows," he says as he buries his face in her neck.

He does not even have to explain because he knows that she understands. Her arms go around his neck and her hands stroke him to soothe his worry.

"I am here," she says running her hand through his hair. She has to say it several times before he can truly believe her.

His hands run down her back, as if to make sure she really was there and then notices belatedly how he has found her.

"I, I apologize," he says as he pulls back. He tries not to but ends up looking at her anyway and realizes why it was always a good thing to knock first.

She chuckles a little but she turns such an attractive pink that his own embarrassment is forgotten as he smirks at her.

"I suppose you could have found me completely naked instead," she says as she pulls away from him to wrap her dressing robe around her. "Though I am not quite sure why."

"Why what?" he asks but his eyes are glued to where she has just covered herself.

"You have seen me in a more unclothed state in my bikini in Solis," she explains. "Yet we both blush when you catch me in my bra and knickers." She laughs at herself but she still tightens the tie of her robe.

He smirks at her but he feels so enthralled by her at the same time. She smirks back at him as she walks closer to kiss his nose.

"But you are very cute when you blush so," she says, as her eyes go to his cheeks.

He smiles down at her but soon shakes his head at himself. He had not come on the off chance that she would be half naked. It was because he had thought she would be dead.

"She has not taken me yet, which means that it is not her time," Stella says softly. "That means we can still have dinner and that means I still have to get ready."

How she could dismiss such a dangerous thing so easily, baffles him.

She makes a shooing gesture but he does not move as he continues to stare at her. It makes him wonder who really was the braver of the sexes.

"Did you want to watch me dress?" she asks as she raises her eyebrow and that wakes him up. She does not look upset, just challenging.

"What if I do?" he challenges back as his own eyebrow arches.

"Well, then I would miss what kind of face you will make once I make my grand entrance to dinner," she retorts with a secret smile.

"You plan on making one?" he asks curiously.

"Of course!" she says with another secretive smile that builds a sense of anticipation within him.

"And you will be wearing those underneath your dress?" he asks and he is suddenly sorry that he had not gotten a better look at her negligee. What he did see, he is sure he will recall all night as he watches her from across the table.

"Perhaps," she says evasively, but she still has that grin on her face. "Now go, I want to mesmerize you tonight."

"You already mesmerize me."

Her expression softens at his words.

"You still don't get to see me dress!" she cries in mock indignation a moment later, as she manages to push him towards her door.

They both pause at the door as he turns to regard her one last time. He runs a hand through her hair as he kisses her forehead, her cheek and her nose. Bypassing her lips, he kisses lower and ends with a long, poignant kiss on the scar on her chest. When his faces reaches back up at her, he knows he does not want to leave her. To leave her, to have her out of his sight, would be to risk never seeing her again.

"You will see me tonight, Beloved," she says, reading his thoughts. "I know you will."

Her conviction gives him a level of ease. It is minuet, but it is still there.

"Because you want to mesmerize me," he teases.

She winks at him as she closes the door softly.

He lets out a breathe he had not even known he had been holding as he steps away, but he does not stop looking at her door until he can no longer. There was no surprise in knowing that Etro knew. They had not exactly been discreet but they had not been trying to hide either. It was cowardly to hide and if he knew Stella, she would not agree with a passive approach. The passive approach would have been to live separate lives and they were past that. There would be no lives lived in separation of him to her and of her to him. He had tried that and failed.

"Better get a move on with getting ready, Noct," says Des' voice in his ear.

The earpiece that he had decided to keep in his ear ever since he had made his decision. He still forgets that his brothers can hear everything. But putting that contraption in his ear took too much time when he needed to act quickly. He had almost forgotten to use it to summon his brothers when that monster had attacked them in Glacialis. It was just easier to keep it within his ear, at least, until this was all over.

"I suppose I should," he answers as he starts to make his way to his own rooms, which are not far from Stella's. He would not bear to have her so far away.

"Should I bring a camera?" asks Des.

Vires makes a sound of agreement.

"For what?"

"Stella wanted to see your reaction to her dress," he explains. "I think she'd appreciate having a permanent memory of it."

He laughs a little as he shakes his head but he does not answer as he makes his way into his rooms.

"I want to see her dress too," comments Des.

He answers with a hissing sound of disapproval that has both his brothers laughing.

"So you spoke with Etro again?" asks Vires.

"You mean you did not hear it?" he asks.

"Nope," answers Des.

"What did she say?" asks Vires.

"No more chances."

"Vague," comments Des.

"No wonder you rushed over to Stella's room," reasons Vires.

He makes his way to his closet to survey what he can wear to the impromptu dinner later. As he looks at his wardrobe, he finds he does not really know what he wants to wear. Dressing up was not exactly something that he was fond of doing. So he decides to wear his usual black tuxedo with his collar open. Nobody said he would have to be more formal than that, but first, a shower was in order. He places the earpiece on the counter by the sink. Somehow, his earlier encounter with Etro made him feel as if he needed to wash off her presence. So he takes his time and tries to relax under the hot spray of the water.

_No more chances._

He agrees. There would be no more chances and he would take none. He feels a sense of foreboding and a sense of anxiousness but there was no turning back from what he has decided. There was no more room for doubt now. He and Stella had already made their decisions. They were ready to face the consequences.

As selfish as the decision may seem, there was no other way for him. He had lived his life in self sacrifice for many things, but in this, he would not sacrifice. He had tried and that had been disastrous. There was no way he could achieve being a great leader if he could not even properly focus. He doubts he would have even tried to marry at all and where would that have left the people's minds? They would force him to marry so that they would have an heir for another monarch to continue his dynasty. A dynasty that had been dying since before the death of his parents and he would have refused to give them an heir by a woman not Stella. Which would have resulted in high public concern. His family's legacy had been all that the people had known for hundreds of years and he was the last. With the reactivation of the crystals and the gifts of new ones, it should have opened the way for a new world. One with hope. He, they had been working so hard to make it such a brighter place to live and now, there was only the bleakness that he had always lived with. The light had been snuffed out yet again with Etro's interference.

_Faith._

He had not much hope for faith. Though he had been forced to believe in the things that he could not readily see, he needed something more tangible to have something as powerful as faith. He was not even sure he had hope so he was sure he lacked faith. If he were to say though, he was sure that his hope and his faith was more in Stella than anything else. Which was a dangerous thing. To have such belief based entirely upon one person, but that was the way things had become. That was how things were for him and he was tired of denying it now.

Not without Stella.

_Only a choice. A choice to be tested._

He does not understand what that means. It signified that there was still a choice yet to be made. What could that be? He wonders this as he leans onto the counter and stares at his own reflection.

What did that mean?

"Gonna stay all night in the loo, Noct?" asks Vires in his ear.

"Clocks tickin'," adds Des.

"Bunch of nannies," he grumbles as he straightens himself.

"We're at the car," says Des.

"Coming," he answers as he adjusts his collar and looks at himself one more time before he walks out of his rooms.

This times, he walks to Stella's rooms instead of teleporting, just so that he could get some air into his lunges before he knocks on her door to escort her to the car.

"Come in!" she cries from within and he can feel her anticipation and excitement as his own increases at her tone.

He reaches to turn the knob and opens the door to find she is not standing on the other side. She is not standing where he can see her. So he lets go of the door and walks fully into her rooms. Only to stop walking once he does see her. He knows he has stopped breathing too.

"I thought I would try a different color," she says at the look on his face. Her arms go about her as if to show him, nervously.

"An angel that will be the death of me," he whispers to himself as he stares at her.

"Drat! I wanted to take a picture!" cries Des but he ignores him.

She had indeed, tried a new color. One that he has never seen her wear before. He had not even thought that it would suit her so much but it does. He is happy to be proven wrong in this regard.

"I doubt angels wear black," she teases as she tilts her head at him, much like she did that first night they had met. "Am I mesmerizing?"

"I am starstruck," he answers her as he moves to get closer.

It is not that the dress is particularly flashy nor is it because it was especially tight. It fit. It fit her very well. That she was wearing his preferred color and it looked very good on her was what was keeping breathe from coming easily to him as he continued staring at her.

She looks pleased with his reaction and she smiles up at him as he places his hands on either side of her hips.

"Are you going to even make it out of her room?" blurts out Des, loud enough so that even Stella can hear him.

She turns that endearing shade of pink as he rolls his eyes. He reaches to kiss her forehead before he responds.

"We will be down in a second," he answers Des and looks down at her sheepishly. "I apologize for that."

"We would not love him as much as we do if he was not like that," she says.

"Are you ready?" he asks as he offers her his arm.

"Yes," she answers as she takes it.

The drive over to the banquet hall was quiet. Des had whistled appreciatively at the sight of Stella in her black dress and winked which caused him to elbow his friend. Vires had merely smiled with a nod of approval as he moved to sit in the driver's seat while Des made sure he and Stella both got into the car before getting into the passenger's side. The view of the city and its many lights went by unnoticed as he kept his eyes on her form. His thumb rubs absently over her wrist as he holds her hand in his. Their fingers entwine as he pulls them up to kiss her hand and keeps them against his heart. She smiles at him as she scoots closer to lay her head on his shoulder and sighs. He spends the ride inhaling the scent of her and squeezing her hand every so often.

Once they reach the building, he helps her out and they both make their way hand in hand to the elevators. Tonitrus and Miltis ride up with them and when the doors open he smiles at the others. They both immediately walk towards Grando first.

"Grando!" cries Stella as she reaches over to give him a welcome hug.

The other man blushes a bit while he stumbles on a greeting.

"How were your travels?" he asks him.

"Good," Grando answers with a nod before he looks at the both of them with apology. "But we did not find anything there. I am sorry."

"No worries," reassures Stella. "We appreciate you trying."

"Was there nothing there at all?" he asks.

"There were many things that we could not read," Grando confesses. "They seemed to have all been written in some form of hieroglyphics."

"Much like the ones that are on our insignia," he says.

"Yes, but we already know so little about what our runes say," says Grando.

"They must all mean something," comments Stella.

"But there was a small box that Sapien said he found." adds Grando. "He said he was going to call you to let you know."

That makes him frown. He had not heard anything from Sapien since the day before. It was not like him not to call if he found something.

"Maybe he just did not want to get your hopes up," explains Grando, reading the expression on his face.

"When did he tell you?" asks Noctis.

"On my way over here," is the reply. "But when he did call, there was some heavy static."

"Static?" he asks suddenly feeling very wary. "What kind of static?"

"Dinner is ready!" is announced above their heads.

"Ah! About time!" cries Militis loudly as he everyone starts to make their way to the table.

"I am famished," confesses Fulgur as he makes to sit in a chair in the middle of the long table that has been set up for them. As he stands he looks towards Astra to see where she would be sitting. There is a look on the other man's face that makes Noctis wonder if maybe the others found him looking at Stella in much the same manner. Now that it has been brought to his attention, he feels rather sorry for the abrupt man. To love someone so much and not have your love returned must be torture. Especially if that loved one was in love with someone else. It makes him squeeze Stella's hand a little tighter in thanks to her for choosing him.

He leads her to her chair and brings it out for her. Her chair was positioned directly across from his own and he does not like that she is to be sitting so far away. It makes no sense to him that it was the chair furthest from him, at the other end that signified her importance when it should have been by his side.

"You are too far away," she laments to him in a whisper.

He responds by caressing her shoulder in passing as he makes his way to his own chair.

Everyone smiles and makes sounds of approval as they stare at the food that has been prepared for them. It seems that Stella had ordered the foods from each of their regions would be represented at the table. They all cheer her for her thoughtfulness and he gives her a smile in appreciation. He can see her eyes sparkle in pleasure and they share a meaningful look before they are forced to direct their attentions on those around them. There is the clattering of dishes and light conversation as they all begin to eat.

"I feel as if we have to make a turn about the table with speeches," comments Militis after some time.

"Oh please no!" cries Astra.

"That sounds like a fine idea," says Sol.

"Only because you love the limelight," comments Procella with a long suffering sigh.

"Would you rather speak? I would love the excuse to look upon you," Sol answers with a wink that Noctis is sure that Procella does not appreciate, if her look is any indication.

"Do we all have to do it?" asks Vitrum uneasily.

"I have many things I could say," says Mira hopefully.

"Volunteer basis then," offers Fulgur.

"I think speeches should be said," agrees Tonitrus.

"Many of us have many things that we want to say," adds Militis.

"I would love to hear them," says Stella as she smiles.

"I believe I shall go first," says Militis as he stands up. "I shall be brief because you all know I am a man of few words."

"At least in you opinion," chirps up Tonitrus and the others laugh with him.

Militis clears his throat. "I would just like to share that these past few months have been very interesting and very insightful. It has been a pleasure to know and see the faces of those that would bring our world into a new era."

"Thank you, Militis," says Stella and the other quickly add their own comments.

"While I did not think I would like many of you," confesses Sol as he also gives Noctis a pointed stare among many. "I have come to realize that there is charm and beauty in things that I had not even thought to look." He stops to look at everyone again before he continues. "Generations of turmoil and hardship has passed and now we are on the threshold of something better. I think we can all agree that there have been hard times between us. I am sure there will be more to come, but these trips together have opened our eyes to the possibilities and given us something that we had not had before. That is hope. It has given me hope too." He finishes with a flashing smile and sits down.

"Are you sure you had not written that down somewhere before tonight?" asks Tonitrus teasingly which makes everyone else laugh.

"Do not hate me because I am so naturally eloquent," answers Sol.

"Is there anything about you that is really natural?" asks Militis. "I have never seen so many modified people in my life than as in Solis."

"Of course!" cries Sol in indignation. "My hair!"

They all laugh.

"I would like to say that I, at first did not think much of Noctis," confesses Fulgur as he turns his head to regard him. "I had not heard the best things about you."

"I doubt any of you did," he answers with a smirk.

"I think you are the biggest surprise of all," adds Tonitrus.

"My surprise was that I began to like you all," confesses Procella, even though her facial expression does not match her words. It almost looks as if she resented that fact.

"Well we are a very loveable bunch," answers Militis.

"You?" cries Sol with a dramatic shock.

"What are you implying?" demands Militis.

"Well I suppose you must be somewhat loveable seeing as you are married and all," teases Tonitrus.

Noctis is chuckling as Vires approaches him.

"Noct, it's Sapien," Vires says as he hands him a phone.

He frowns because it would have been easier if he had just spoken into their ear pieces.

As soon as he presses the phone to his ear he can hear the heavy static.

"Hello?"

"Noct?!" he can hardly hear Sapien amid the static and loud background noises. He wonders just where Sapien is.

"Where are you?"

"Coming right----. Noct, you nee-----."

"Sapien say that again," he says as he watches the others laughing heartily as they all teased each other.

"Etro! She's------"

"I cannot hear you."

"------- lunar eclipse tonight!"

"What about tonight?" he asks as he begins to feel uneasy.

"----------is coming! Do you hear me?! Tonight Etro can----" and the line went dead.

Everyone else was still in mid laughter around him but he looks to see Stella already looking at him.

He opens his mouth but before he can even begin to speak another voice beats him to it.

"Enjoying yourselves I see," comes that voice. That voice that he has only heard when he was by himself and was now speaking to all the Crystal Bearers together.

They all stop laughing and turn to stare at the new being that has entered the hall. It feels as if all the joy and laughter that had been in the room previously had all been sucked out. Etro stands there, tentacles splayed around her and she is beaming that unnatural white that still revolts him with its mockery. She sneers at each of them in turn but she has a special deathly glare, just for Stella.

Noctis finds himself standing to ready himself.

"You all know who I am," she says pointedly.

They do not reply, but merely continue looking at her.

"I am not known to be a patient sort of person," she says and the smile that appears on her face was nothing short of devious. "But I have been very patient with my Dear Noctis over here." She raises a pale finger towards him and her tentacles follow.

"I am not your 'Dear' anything, Etro," he says glaring right back at her.

She smiles as fondly as is possible on her face. "You see, I had given him a rather reasonable ultimatum," she tells the rest of them. "To let Stella go or I would take her back to the dead with me."

He can see all of them turn to him, their eyes wide with question and then some of them dawned in understanding.

"Of course, being as stubborn as he is and stubborn as she is, they decided they would stay together anyway," she scoffs as if such a thing were insipid.

"You have no right to separate us," says Stella as she stands to face Etro.

Even within this moment, with the both of them standing so close together, he wonders just who was the woman and who was the goddess. Right now, Stella was the one who should be a goddess.

"I have every right, girl!" snaps Etro. "You already belong to me. It was only graciousness on my part that you even came back after he had killed you in the first place."

That stung. He feels the guilt rush through him at the accusation.

"What do you want now?" he demands.

She smiles as if that was exactly what she had been waiting for him to ask.

"You have another choice, Dear One," she says mischievously. "You can either risk Stella or risk everyone else with Stella."

"What are you talking about?"

_The choice. The final choice._

"You let me take Stella or you risk losing everyone," she elaborates. With a wave of her hand, she motions to everyone seated at the table. "Is Stella worth losing everyone here for?"

"You would hold all of us ransom just so that two people should not be together?" asks Sol as he too stands up.

"Why not?" Etro asks.

"Why not? Because you do not have the power to," Sol answers her. "Your only purpose is to rule over those already dead. We are not dead."

"But Stella was dead so she can be again," answers Etro evasively.

"Noctis, you cannot..." he does not get to finish his sentence before Etro waves her hand and he's thrown into his seat.

"I would not complain so much when it was you who would have benefited had Noctis chosen wisely the first time," she chides.

Noctis glares at her.

"What is she talking about?" Sol asks looking at him.

"You did not tell him, did you, Dear one?" she asks as she leans closer to Sol as if confiding a secret. "You see Sunshine, had Noctis chosen to listen to me the first time it was you who I had decided would keep Stella."

He watches as Sol's brow frowns and then his golden eyes shoot to his.

"So I was more than just a rival," the other man says.

"You are taking too long, Dear One," Etro chides.

"Do not let her threaten you anymore, Noctis," says Mira, her burgundy eyes resolute.

"You will not take any of us," he says looking back at Etro. "You do not have the power to kill yourself."

"Let her take me, Noctis" says Stella suddenly.

His eyes fly to hers. She nods at his unspoken question.

"No," he answers firmly with a shake of his head. He is so tired of being threatened. So tired of having death follow behind him and giving him impossible choices. He is so tired of being dictated to. The air that was just dead with the presence of Death itself was now becoming static with his Crystal energy. The lights around them begin to flicker madly and the china clatters on the table. "No more denying. No more of you!" he shouts as he feels the flow of his energy within him as it rolls in waves around him. He closes his eyes as he focuses his mind and when he reopens them, his eyes are both glowing bright red as he releases his energy to the goddess standing before him.

There is a bright flash of blue light as it collides with Etro's pale form and a blinding glare that left spots in his eyes. There is the crackling of crystals and smoke but once the air clears the goddess is still standing there.

Her screeching laughter almost pops his ears as she roars her conceit. "You are trying to kill me?" she asks in amazement. "You would try to kill a goddess?"

His face remains stern but he begins to feel the fear of impending defeat.

"You have chosen wrong," she says and she smiles in satisfaction as she snaps her fingers.

There is the sound of someone catching themselves against the table as he turns to see Stella crouched before her seat. Her hands are bracing against the edge and he can tell that her breathes are labored. She steadies herself enough to reach where her scar is and when her hand is withdrawn he can see that there is blood on her fingers. It is not a moment later as he teleports at her back in time to catch her as she falls. They both end up on the floor as he cries out in panic.

She cries out softly and her blood is pouring out of the wound that Etro had reopened. He can see the gaping hole where his sword had pierced so long ago. The very spot that he had kissed all these months to try and ease the guilt.

"No, no," he whispers.

She opens her mouth to say something to him but her voice is gone. He knows, somehow he knows that it is not from the pain. Etro has stopped her tongue.

She tries to speak again but no words escape her lips as tears slide from her eyes.

_I love you_, he hears through their connection and it is the only thing he hears within the chaos all around as he closes her eyes. He can feel her life as it leaves her body and he feels as if she has taken his with her. He has never felt as cold as he feels now.

He does not notice that the entire building was beginning to shake. He does not notice that the glass begins to shatter around them. Suddenly he is surrounded by water from the massive aquarium bursting and there is wind whirling all around them but he does not take notice of that either. All he can see is Stella as she has lost the battle for her life. He is back in that moment where he had killed her. He had killed her than as surely as he has killed her now.

Gone. Gone was all the warmth that he had ever felt, to be replaced by his ever present darkness. There was never to be anything warm nor bright in his life again. Life. There was not even that. There was no life with Stella. There was nothing if she was not there and she was not gone.

He can feel his control over his powers snap and the energy. The energy continued building and building in his anguish, threatening to break free. The frustration, the stress, the loss before him was too much and he could feel the very vessels of his blood bursting with enough energy to destroy everything. How good would that feel? To destroy everything. To kill everyone. Yes, to vent out his agony by killing everything and everyone with his powers.

Gently he lays Stella down and rises. His hands are glowing a vibrant white, just rimming with suppressed power as he stands to take in the havoc that he is wrecking around him. There are huge shards of glass revolving around the building and the wind from it felt like being within the very center of a tornado. Slowly, he turns to the others. He sees their stunned faces and they must know what thoughts he must be thinking. He looks at each of their faces in turn and realizes how easy it would be to kill them all. How so very easy. If he just let go and they would all be dead. He find the thought not so bad as he would have thought before. It was very tempting. He almost feels like he wants to go through with it, just so that they can all feel a glimpse of his sorrow.

Then his eyes fall on the body of the one who meant the most to him. Her face, her face in a permanent expression of peace. Something he has always wanted. Something he had always hoped for his people, for his world. Something he had wanted with her. Killing would not bring peace and she would not want that. She would hate it. She would hate him for doing it.

_You and Stella have been chosen to be the leaders who will bring this generation out of the darkness. _Those had been Etro's words.

He looks up at Etro and finds the look of anticipation on her face and he knows. He finally knows why she had started this. Not just her jealousy. That had only been her half truth. The full truth of it was that she wanted him to lose control. She has always known Stella would be the key to unleashing the full destructive potential of his powers so that in the end, she would have more dead to rule over. Peace, the very thing that he and Stella and the others had wanted, had been chosen for, would stop the needless death. It would stop the rapid decline in population that had permeated their world and what was Death to do when so many who could be dying from war were not? That was why Etro had waited until they were all together again after he had chosen to stay with Stella, despite her threat. The world would be in utter chaos if all their leaders were killed by one of their own. The world would never recover from this.

He can finally see this now. Now when it is too late. His power has built up too high inside himself that he cannot suppress it any longer. He can see the evil smirk of triumph on Etro's face and he knows the choice, the final choice that he must make.

"You think you know so much," he hisses through his teeth at her. "This is not good bye for her and I. This is not the end. I will not let it. I shall ever have to say good bye to her. Living is not worth living at all if it were not with her."

He watches her face and he can see that she understands. It is the first time he has seen her fear and he smirks with own triumph.

"You have her. So you shall have me too. For I will be your fool no longer," he says as he closes his eyes. He ignores her shriek of denial and outrage because it does not matter. She has wanted him this long. She can finally have him, him and Stella together. Never to separate. This was the only way that it was meant to be. The others would be left out of it.

The winds around them stop as he sucks in all the rapid energy into himself, causing all the the shards of glass to fly towards him and embed themselves all over his body. He gasps from the intense pain as they pierce into his flesh and he feels his body begin to slacken. With his last strength he uses the flow of energy and focuses on his crystal. The crystal within him that was connected to his very life. He cries out from the pain and the intensity of the power inside him and focuses. Focuses all of it on his crystal. He can see, within his mind, his crystal begin to crack, slowly giving under the pressure. Finally, his crystal shatters into a million pieces from the force of its own power and his body falls. There is the distant sound of Etro's ear screeching, "No!". Then he knows nothing more.

TBC.


	18. Vinco Vici Victum

A/N: I know that this is not where everyone thought this would go. The last one was rather hard to write because of what happened, but I had to keep with my outline. I hope I don't lose anyone while they read this cause it can get a little confusing. Keep in mind that it jumps. There are a lot of things heavily borrowed from Noctum in here.

Vinco Vici Victum is latin for "conquer, overcome, win".

_**Vinco Vici Victum**_

"I am going to tell you a story, Noctis."

"But father! The sun is still out and it is still not yet time for bed," he protests, his face full of worry.

His father chuckles at his misguided distress and gives him a reassuring smile.

"Of course not, son! I do not wish you to sleep just yet. I merely wanted to tell you a story. Now I know I do not tell you enough if you think it means I want you to sleep," he says with a grin.

"What sort of story, Father?" he asks as his bright blue eyes look wary and then slant slightly in suspicion. "It is not one of those that mother tells about kissing is it?"

His father laughs again before ruffling his spiky, midnight hair.

"No, but I wager there will be a bit of that too."

"Is there adventure?" he asks as his eyes take on a pleading, hopeful look now.

"What other kind of story would be worth telling?" he says with a knowing smirk.

This answer pleases him, so he scrambles to get onto his father's lap then. He is a small boy, smaller than his age and his father's legs are long. His small hands grab onto pant legs and he hoists himself up easily. His father watches his movements with amusement before helping him sit securely onto his lap. A warm, indulging smile appears on his face when he sees the eager look that appears on his son's young face. He leans into the back of his favorite chair within the archives as he prepares to relay his story to him.

"Are there monsters?" Noctis asks hopefully.

"Like you cannot imagine."

"What is the story about?"

"It is a tale of the crystals."

"The Crystals!" he cries excitedly. His ears perk up at the prospect. He tugs on his father's shirt in an effort to hurry him along and start the story.

Similar, but older and wiser blue eyes look down into his with a tender smile.

"It revolves around a king. A good and compassionate king. A powerful king among lesser kings. For he was far greater than the rest. Upon him was granted the full potential of the crystals' powers. Which was a power so unimaginable that he could destroy the entire planet if he wished it."

"To have such power," he muses. He blinks his small eyes several times as he ponders this fact. Enough power to destroy their entire world.

"This brave and valiant king would be given a choice. The ultimate choice. He could follow the darkness and become the living manifestation of death or he could represent hope and life."

"What did he choose?"

"He chose to be hope and life, of course. Because he was a good king, who wanted peace to be achieved through our world," he answers as he watches the emotions so clearly displayed upon his young son's face. "But he needed to accomplish one task to prove himself."

"What was he to do?"

"He must harness the power of ten crystals, his own included and trap Death in deep slumber."

"What would that accomplish?"

"It would give men a chance to achieve peace," his father answers. "You see, Death liked to meddle in the affairs of men. She amused herself with their mistakes and misguided them to their own ruin. Always selfish and always wanting, she wanted there to be more death than there is life. She would stop at nothing to see that all be brought to ruin and despair so that she would be the most powerful among the gods. Her ultimate goal is to be the supreme goddess."

"So, if she were to be in deep slumber, men would be given a chance to live without her meddle? But what happens when she wakes up again?"

"I will leave that story for another day," his father answers with a knowing smile on his face.

Small lips pout in thought. "So did the king do it? Did he choose to do the task?"

"What do you think you would do, Noctis?"

"I would trap Death," he answers quickly. "I do not like people who meddle."

His father laughs again as he ruffles his hair again. "I do not appreciate meddlers either."

"But the king is given an impossible task," he reasons.

"Why do you think it impossible?"

"There have only been six crystals and only ours still works. Where would the king get nine more?"

"That is where the adventure begins, ole chap! He must find them."

"I want to know how he finds them."

"I do too. But we must wait and see."

"Father," he asks, looking up with dawning eyes. "Are you that great king?"

Another chuckle escapes his father's lips. "What makes you think it would be me?"

"You are a great king already!" he cries out.

"Well, I am happy that you think so," his father answers appreciatively. "But my future will not be so grand. I am no great king among lesser ones. I am one of the lesser kings."

"That cannot be so. You rule the one kingdom who has the last remaining crystal," Noctis presses.

"That alone does not make a king great. There is nothing great about a king who does not even have enough power to dictate to his own council."

"But you are always reading the ancient books. You must be looking for those nine other crystals."

"Yes, I am looking for the nine other crystals. I read the ancient books, but not for myself," his father answers. "I read them for you, Noctis."

"For me?" he asks with confused eyes.

"Yes," is the answer. "Because, my son, I feel is it you who will be that great king."

"I still think it should be you."

Another chuckle. "I am not nearly clever enough for such an adventure. You are definitely clever enough for the task."

"Father, you are one of the most clever people I know."

"Now, now. We both know when it comes to brains, it is your mother that surpasses me."

He can see his father's point. His mother was by far the most intelligent person he thinks he will ever meet. Even moreso in the fact that she knew how to keep it hidden from everyone else. To everyone else, she was a poised and graceful lady who spoke very little. To him and to those closest to them, she was talkative and sharp. She pretended to be distant when her eyes missed nothing around her. He could never trick her or fool her in anything. Yes, his mother was the clever one while his father was full of mischief and study. Father was smart. Mother was witty. Yet his mother was not a king. She was loyal and supportive of her husband and king in all things. He realizes he wants a queen just like her.

"One day, Noctis. You will find someone like your mother to spend your life with."

"Will she be beautiful like mother?"

"I wager she would be. She will be everything you need her to be and more."

"Will I have to kiss her?" he asks with a disgusted look on his face that makes his father continue laughing.

"I would worry about that only when the time comes," his father answers with a laugh.

He is already worried about it, from the look on his face.

"We should worry about the king and how he will defeat the goddess of death, Etro."

"You said he needed the ten crystals."

"Yes, that is true," his father answers with a nod. "But I forgot one more thing."

"One more thing?" he gasps. "To an already impossible task?"

"Yes, he can only accomplish this feat during a lunar eclipse."

"So not only does he need to find ten crystals. He needs to make sure he has them all during a lunar eclipse? That is too much! I doubt Etro will let him keep all ten together for that day."

"I imagine she will try all sorts of nasty tricks," his father agrees. "She has the uncanny ability to lead men astray."

"That really does seem to be an impossible task," he muses as he bites his lower lip worriedly. "And you think I am the king clever enough to do this impossible task?"

"Do not worry," reassures his father.

"I would not be able to do such a thing," he cries, full of distress again. "It is just too hard!"

"I wish you would not tell him these things now," says another voice with a sad sigh. It always sound so melodic that Noctis always feels so relaxed whenever he hears it. He turns his head to see his mother standing in the doorway and she looks worried and a little wary. Yet still, he finds her to be the most beautiful person he has ever seen.

"He needs to know these things," says his father.

"He is too young, my love," she presses.

"I am six, Mother!" he cries. "Soon to be seven."

Her blue eyes turn to smile at him and it brightens her entire face. "Growing up too fast for your mother," she says. She looks up at his father again. "Much too fast for his own good."

His head swings back and forth between his parents in question. He cannot explain it, but it seems as if they are speaking to each other without words. There have been many times where he has felt like they were but he has never asked. Right now, Mother is anxious and Father is insistent. They disagree and he does not like to have disunity between them. It does not happen often but it hurts him when it does. Their eyes hint at the things they could be saying but he cannot decipher their meaning.

"Sapien, Vires and Des are here to see you, Noctis," his mother says at last, as she smiles down at him warmly. "Best hurry before we go on our daily picnic in a bit."

At the prospect of his friends, he perks up and quickly scrambles off of his father's lap.

"Thank you for the story, Father," he says with a nod as his feet touch the floor. "I will not be long, Mother."

He is just about to race out the door when something makes him stop. There is just something too peculiar about his parents demeanor that his curious mind needs to know what will happen once they think he has gone. So he pretends to leave in a hurry but does not close the door all the way. Then he creeps back to place his ear near the wall.

"We have no time left," he hears his father say. "I can feel it."

"Are you certain, my love? Are you really sure that Noctis...?"

"Yes, I am sure," he answers seriously. It is a more serious tone than he is used to hearing his father speak. "We both knew the day he was born that he was special."

He wishes he could see his parents but he can hear the sad but resolute tones in their voices.

"What have the whispers told you?" his mother asks.

"That Noctis will be fine."

"Fine? How can he be fine? He will be all alone in the world."

"He has his friends. He will not be completely alone. Those boys are like his brothers. They will help him, as their fathers helped me," his voice sounds distant, as if he were recalling a memory.

"What of Aenigma? The rest of the council? They will not make it easy for him."

"He will overcome whatever obstacles they place in front of him," he father reassures her. "He is smart enough to heed the counsel that we have given him."

"It is too much of a burden to place upon a small child."

"He shall not be a child forever. He will grow up and he will be the one."

Though he cannot see them clearly, he knows that they are embracing as they speak. His parents often did. He feels his little heartbeat quicken as he wonders why they are so worried about him. Won't they always be with him?

"I know he will be strong and I know he will be brave," his mother says and her voice does not show any doubt. "I am only sorry that he will not ever know how much we love him. That he will never truly be alone."

"Our time is passing. We have done all that we can do, my love," answers his father. "We just need to believe and have faith."

"Noct!" hisses a low voice behind him. "What are you doing there?"

"Quiet!" he hisses back as he glares at Sapien to be quiet. "You will expose me."

He does not see, but Sapien nods in agreement as he moves to stand beside him at the door.

"How much longer do we have?" asks his mother.

"I do not know."

"It will have to be enough. It is be enough is it not?"

"Of course."

"What of the ancient texts? We need to make sure that he can find them when he needs them."

"I have the ones he needs on my person right now. I am going to hide it once we leave the countryside tomorrow."

"Come on!" hisses Sapien as he tugs on Noctis' shoulder. "We are going to get caught once Des comes up."

He wishes he can groan but he is sure that the sound will alert his parents so he creeps as silently as he can down the hall behind Sapien.

"What were they talking about?" Sapien asks when they are a safe distance away.

"I was trying to figure that out. Something about me," answers Noctis. "Something about leaving."

"What did you hear?" Sapien asks. "Leaving? Where would they go? They'd take you with them for sure," Sapien says to be reassuring, but Notics has that grim look on his face.

"There you are Noct!" cries Des as he twirls his wooden toy gun for him to see.

"Not now, Des," says Sapien.

"What's wrong, Noct?" asks Vires.

"What took you so long to get here?" asks Des.

"We were snooping," answers Sapien.

"Oh! Top secret stuff?" asks Des.

"Naturally," answers Noctis.

"What was it about?" asks Vires.

"Noct heard his parents..." starts Sapien.

"A king who would conquer Etro," Noctis interrupts.

"A goddess?" asks Sapien.

"Yes!" cries Noctis as his excitement returns at the thought.

"Boys! It is time to go!" calls a masculine voice from outside.

Noctis can feel his excitement deflate.

"We'll be seeing you later then, Noct," says Vires with a tap on his shoulder.

"Just wanted to come by before we went back to training," says Des with a toothy grin as he rotates his wooden gun in his hand again.

"I wish I could go with you," pouts Noctis as he feels the gloom return in his chest. "It is not fair."

"We are training to protect you, Noct," says Sapien as he squints through his small rounded glasses.

"Are your eyes getting worse?" asks Noctis as he frowns at the way his friend is squinting.

"Must be. He couldn't make out the target yesterday," says Des.

"I do not understand why I must train alone. I would much rather train with the three of you," says Noctis.

"You have a different sort of training," explains Sapien. "You know that."

"We're just the grunts," says Des proudly.

"It is more than that, I know it. Something is wrong with me," says Noctis. "I am defective prince."

"Just because you can't see the Light?" asks Sapien.

Noctis quirks his lips but he nods.

"Boys! Get out here right now!"

"Let's hurry, mates," says Vires uneasily as he eyes the door. "Before we get punished for being late again."

"Later, Noct!" calls Des as he and Vires rush out the door.

"Have fun with your parents," says Sapien.

"I want to go with you guys," Noctis whines.

"We'll be back before you know it," reassures Sapien.

Noctis makes a disgruntled noise.

"Don't forget to tell us about that king."

"I won't," he grumbles.

Sapien gives him another worried look before rushing out after the other two.

Noctis sighs as he watches the door slam and hears the departure of his friends. It is not that he does not love his parents. He loves them with all that his little heart can feel. It is just that he is not a baby anymore and does not need to go on picnics while his friends get to learn how to fight. It did not seem fair. Especially now that it seemed like they were going to leave him. Was there something that wrong with him?

"It looks like everyone will leave me," he whispers to himself.

Somehow, that reminds of him what his father had told him earlier. Something about his princess. That she would be everything he needed. Though the idea of kissing a girl seemed a bit repulsive to him and he would rather be with his friends, if she was supposed to be what he needed, he does not mind the thought of her. Given the things that he was hearing today, what he really minded was if she left him behind as well. If she would be what he needed and never left him, that was something that he could like very much. He finds himself wanting to meet her.

"Have they gone already, Noctis?" asks his mother from down the hall.

"Yes, Mother," he mumbles as he slumps his shoulders as he is reminded of his friends leaving.

"Noctis," she says in a motherly chide. "You have your own personal fighting instructor who gives you specialized attention. What more could you ask for?"

"Because I am alone," he pouts. "I want to train with my friends." He turns around with a bowed head and refuses to look up at his mother.

A few moments and a rustle of fabrics later and he can see her skirts come into view, but he still does not look up at her. A soft hand reaches for his chin and pulls his face up to level with her own.

"I know you do, my love," she says with understanding. "And there will come a day where you shall train with them all you wish. But for today, today you shall have to endure the company of your father and I. Can you do that for us?"

"Of course, Mother," he answers honestly and he manages a small, but sad smile for her sake.

She lets out a small laugh in gratitude.

"You are such a good boy," she says as she touches his cheek. Her eyes water as she thinks of things that he cannot possibly imagine. It causes him to push his own anxieties away.

He does not like to see his mother sad. "Are you ready to go now, Mother? I feel hungry already," he says to distract her.

She smiles at him and her smile is bright this time though there are still unshed tears in her eyes.

"Your father is waiting outside with the basket," she says as she looks intently at his face.

It was a beautiful day. The sun shone brilliantly against the white snow. It had been snowing the week before but the storm had finally passed, leaving the landscape covered in white snowflakes. The sun was warm above and the skies were clear. The sky was such a deep color blue that it seemed as if it were water than sky. Patches of thick clouds hovered here and there but they were only enough to shade you from the sun as they passed above their heads. The birds sang in the distance and the wind blew a refreshing wind from the west. His father had found a perfect little area near a large barren tree beside the frozen lake shore to have their picnic. His parents were seated atop a thick, wool blanket watching while he played in the blanket of snow around them.

"What are you creating there, Noctis?" asks his father. "Who is that?"

"Someone," he says absently as he adds another detail in the snow.

"What a beautiful lady," comments his mother.

"This is my Princess," he replies as he smooths out the snow that pictured the hair.

"Your Princess?" asks his mother in surprise.

"Yes, my Princess," he says again simply. He nods as he stares at his creation. "Father says that one day I will find a princess like you."

Both of his parents look at him in surprise, but he does not see their faces as he adds another detail.

"She is very lovely," comments his mother approvingly.

"Everything I need and more," he whispers to himself as he looks it over carefully. He tilts his head to the side and feels like something is missing, something important. He cannot quite place what it could be. Then his eyes pass to the eyes. Yes, the eyes were what was wrong. He tries to figure out just what it is when a dark shadow falls over him, covering the light of the sun. It brings with it a strange sense of foreboding, though he does not understand the emotion at his age. It is not his father standing over him. This he can already tell from the silhouette. So he slowly raises his eyes to see the skirt of white robes and upwards to a pale, unfamiliar face with blond hair. He has never seen this man before.

Icy, almost white blue eyes stare intently down at him and he knows that this man is not safe. Without even having to see, he senses that there are more unfamiliar men that have encircled he and his parents. He does not see the sword and spear in the man's hand.

"Noctis, run!" shouts his father as the white robed man moves to strike him.

Everything that happens after that is a blur. He does not remember who moved first and who struck whom. There is the crackling sound of crystals and the weight of a body covering him as he finds himself lying on his side. Then there is only the sound of breathing. The sound echoes around him as his eyes slowly open but are not clear. He is breathing so fast and there is a trembling fear that shakes his small body. There is only blurriness and white. The white is not too bright but there is only blur and white and he knows he must seem more than that. Within this blurry white, he sees the figure still standing above him and his sense of unease increases. He is no longer safe. He will never be safe again. This causes him to breathe even faster as he looks up and his blurry eyes finally clear.

His eyes clear to replace the blur and the white with the red. The red that has tainted all the bright white snow that he had been playing in. This horrifying redness that seems to seep into his very skin and fill his nose with the most gut wrenching scent imaginable. He thinks he is going to be sick with the stench of it. It is covering him It is everywhere he looks and he wishes for nothing more than to wash it all away. He remembers the weight and realizes that it is his mother that lies partially upon him. She does not make any move to get off him and feels so very heavy on him. Her eyes do not even open as he moves. He searches for his father and sees him not too far away and his eyes are not open either. He feels an urge to shake them both awake again.

As young as he is, he knows. He knows they will never wake again. That their eyes will never open again. He knows that this stickiness that he wishes he could wash away is their blood. It is their very lives that are surrounding him. He sits up and looks at his small hands and he sees that the red has coated his fingers too. Before he can panic and for his mind to process what all this means, he hears a piercing sound. He looks around confused for a moment until his eyes look up at the white robed figure and sees the sword in its hand for the first time.

He gasps another breathe as he feels the most intense pain his chest began to flare. The pain is so immense that his eyes cannot focus again. At first, he cannot even scream for the shock of it. His eyes look up into the face of this stranger and sees no sympathy and no remorse. Then there comes anger, even as the pain gets worse. Finally, his small voice cries out in agony and rage. It is within that moment that he feels it for the first time. There is something inside him that has awakens. He can feel it come alive inside him as the white and the red is replaced with blue and he cries out again.

The sounds of crackling crystal fills his ears, along with his cries before there is the swirling of swords around him. One of those blades swipes to slice the unfeeling, cold face of the white robed figure and the blue energy blows the figure away and out of Noctis sight. When the blue has cleared he stumbles forward as he clutches his chest. He sees his own blood join with the blood of his parents as he tries to get up. Another cry escapes his lips as he manages to lift himself, only to fall back and land on the dead body of his mother and it all goes black.

There is blackness now. A blackness so thick that he feels as if it were a fog that encompasses him. He cannot feel the pain his chest. He cannot even really feel his body. He cannot feel anything within this blackness. Yet even though his eyes cannot see, he knows that he is not alone in this void. There is a presence nearby. A presence that makes him feel as cold and unfeeling as the white robed figure had been. Then, there is a door. A light shines forth from within its frame and he feel the urge to walk through it to escape the uneasy presence and the blackness. It is as he is about to do so that he sees what is with him in this blackness.

It is a figure. A feminine figure. One that is equally appalling as it is compelling. It confuses him and he steps away from the door.

"Come to me, Noctis," she beckons to him with her arms held wide. It reminds him of when his mother wished for him to embrace her. A wish he had always granted her. But this She, shines with an inner whiteness, but there is something almost sickly and unnatural about her whiteness. It feels like a sick imitation of what the light should be.

Something inside him, that still craves his mother's embrace is tempted to give in. With his own mother dead, his resolve weakens with the prospect of familiarity in an embrace. Yet that thing, that unnatural white is not his mother. No one could and no one would replace what she was to him. What she meant to him. It was not possible with this one's imitation of light and sickly paleness when his own mother had been what was supposed to be, what was true. So he runs and he runs as hard an as fast as his little legs can carry him. He can feel those ghostlike tentacles of her arms just at his back. There is another call of his name but this time it is a hiss of being denied. He manages to remain just out of their reach until he hears an ear piercing screech that leaves him to do nothing else but to stop so he can cover his ears. He has not even fully stopped his run when the tentacles snatch him. He struggles and he fights their hold around him as they begin to pull him back towards her. Her, that fake, abominable mockery of his irreplaceable mother.

"No!" his young voice shouts. "Noooo!"

It happens then. Again, he can feel the blue light consume him and the swirling sound returns. Instinctively, his arm reaches out and a sword appears in his hand. He does not stop to wonder where it had come from, only that he has a weapon in his hand. So using all his pain, anguish and anger, he thrusts down and cuts off on of the atrocious tentacles. It is followed by a scream of agony and the other tentacle flies away from him. The screaming continues but this time it is in anger and he answers with a roar of his own.

The remaining tentacle shoots out as if to strike him and it is about to reach him when it's blocked by an invisible force. Blue eyes blink in confusion because he knows that it is not from his own power that this has happened. He feels another energy just behind him. It feels so powerful that he feels like every hair on his neck is standing on edge and his extremities begin to tingle. Wherever it is coming from, it is close behind him. But there is no time to look back because now the screams have reached a higher pitch and instead of anger, it is replaced by dread. Then there is a brilliant white light that blows towards that fake white figure. The real white and the fake white collide together but the fake white is no match for the true one. That grotesque figure flies through the doorway and the door slams behind her and seals.

His eyes are wide as he watches this happen and there is just silence in this blackness now. The dread and death that been within this void is replaced. It feels almost comforting but still a little frightening as he slowly turns around to see what was behind him now. He sees nothing. There is no physical being there when he looks, but he feels its presence with him. It is close and it is comforting where the other had not been. He can still feel the tingle of its energy on his skin.

"What nightmares you will have in the years to come," a voice says mournfully. It is a masculine voice that washes over him with its genuine concern and warmth. It is strange but he feels at ease with this presence. He cannot help it. "But this experience has been a necessity. I shall guide you, Noctis. Though you will forget about this until it is time for you to need it."

"Who are you?" he asks curiously.

"I am the victor of Death. I am the creator of the crystals. I am whispers of the Light."

"Why did you save me?"

"Because you cannot die, Noctis," is the gentle response. "In you, I have found the means to bring hope back into your world. So I have banished Death into a short sleep so she cannot interfere with your growth, but she will awaken. You must be ready for the next time."

"Ready? For what?"

"For what will come. For you are that great king of your father's story. Chosen to harness the power of the ten crystals. While those crystals remain, you and the other bearers cannot not be taken by Death. Not before you fulfill your purpose together. All attempts at such will be futile if all ten crystals can work together. For you ten, must work together to banish her to a sleep for a time undefined. During which you must bring peace and hope back into your world. You must bring the light to replace the blackness that is rising and bring back the balance of life and death."

"But there is only one crystal now," he says helplessly.

"In time," is the reply. "Death is tricky and Death is cunning, but she will not know of how powerful the crystals shall be. Your full potential will not be manifested until much later. There will be many trials that you must face, but you will triumph in the end. Even when it seems like all hope is gone."

"How?"

"I shall guide you. It is my voice that you will hear in whispers in times to come. You will hear it as a voice again when all seems to have failed."

This is a lot for his mind to process and he does not understand most of it. His young mind just cannot comprehend what this voice had told him.

"You shall recall these words of mine when you need them," is the reassuring reply. "Now, you must awaken."

"Can I not stay here?" he asks, because he feels safe here. He is not alone.

"No, Noctis," is the sad reply. "You must wake up. For there is a world that needs you."

"Noct!" a muffled voice cries.

"They call you now. It is the hour for you to rise," a voice speaks. "Rise, Noctis," says the voice and it is as clear as the day he first heard it. No longer was it a whisper, but a voice as strong as thunder.

"Noct! Wake up!" the voice shouts again and it does not sound as muffled this time. "Nooooct!"

There are shards of broken crystal littered about the floor of a destroyed banquet hall. There is chaos and there are screeching screams of anger. There is desperation and there is rage. Two bodies lay prone along the floor. A kneeling figure screams at one and there are nine figures, with runes flashing, as they stand in a circle around them. The nine glare at the wailing figure. They are at the ready to fight. Fight for the fall of two of their comrades. The very air around them is energized while there is the whisper of death about the room. Each of their insignias flash with their designated colors as they ready themselves to attack. They are about to engage this enemy when they all feel something shift in the air.

Background noise fades as they all begin to hear a strange sound. It is the sound of crystals. There is a shimmering, twinkling sound that fills the room as the fallen shards of crystal begin to rise from the floor. One by one and piece by piece they rise until all are floating all around them. The sight makes everyone pause as each hovering, glowing piece of crystal connects to the piece beside it and the two combine. They merge one by one, cluster by cluster until they become whole.

"No, No!" cries Etro with dawning eyes, but she cannot stop the pieces from coming together.

What had broken to pieces has come back together and for a moment, they can see the lines where the crystal had shattered. A bright light shoots forth from these cracks as they too disappear and the crystal is completely reformed causing deep blue eyes to shoot open with a loud intake of breathe that echoes in the silence of the room.

What was blue turns red as eyes blink and a body sits up to rise.

"Noct," says Sapien in relief as he watches him.

Noctis rises to stand and face his most hated foe. He can hear Stella as she rises behind him but he cannot turn to look at her just yet. To look at her now would distract him from what they all must do now. It is enough to know that she is alive. His rune flashes blue and he can see the golden hues of hers behind him as all ten crystals are shining with their powers. He can feel that familiar flow of energy and he has never felt so revitalized. Now, he remembers. He remembers everything that had happened that day. Most importantly he remembers what the Light truly was and what it had said that he must do. He must fulfill his destiny.

"No. You think to trap me. I will not let you!" hisses Etro as she tries to vanish before them, but she cannot. The ghastly white of her being seems muted and without power as she steps back from the glowing strength of the ten.

"Begone," says Noctis, as he feels his powers join with Stella's. Then one by one he can feel all their strengths combine together. He closes his eyes and he can almost see the connection of each of their crystals as he channels them all with his. His right hand goes up with two fingers pointed in front of his face. With a slice of his hand, his arm flies down and the combined forces of their powers shoot out from his body and collides with the goddess before them.

Etro screams in outrage as her body shoots out from the building and a soaring sound rings as she's hurtled towards the lunar eclipse above. There is a resounding pop, before the boom and the entire city shakes from the force of the force. The red moon ripples as if it were water and the red is replaced by the brilliance of a full, white moon.

The eclipse is over.

It is over. At last!

There are shouts of triumph from down below but he pays them no heed as he turns around. His eyes fall on Sapien. Sapien, who had been the one shouting at him to wake. It is an updated image to the day his friend had found him half dead just after the death of his parents. He smirks at him and gets a smirk in return. Then his eyes look up and stare at each of the others in turn. Each face is familiar and each face is relieved. They all stare back and smile. His eyes stop at his other two brothers standing just behind them and sees their grins. They are all there. Everyone that he loves so dearly. Everyone all together. Along with the one he loves the most, he thinks as his eyes turn to stare at Stella at last. His princess. He reaches for her then and she flies into his arms. As she cries into his shoulder he looks at everyone else and for the first time, a laugh escapes his lips. A laugh so joyous and so open that it makes them all laugh with him as they begin to shout their mutual triumph.

As he clutches Stella to his chest, he can feel her laugh too. She laughs through her tears and pulls back to smile one of her breathtaking smiles up at him. He can do nothing else but to kiss her. Finally, he touches his mouth to hers in a kiss that is deep as it is true. They have done it. They have won.

He pulls back only to bury his face in her hair.

"Marry me," he whispers urgently into her ear. "Marry me before anything else dares to part us again."

She laughs all anew at his urgency as she looks up to run her hand through his impossible midnight hair. Her hand touches the side of his face as her eyes reach his. "Yes, I will," she breathes.

He smiles one of those rare smiles and pulls her to him because he cannot stop kissing her now. They kiss and kiss again until they both must part.

"There's a crowd down there," points out Des and he finally realizes that there is cheering coming from down below.

He frowns at the impossibility of that. A crowd already gathered outside?

"How?" he asks as he continues to hold Stella close to himself.

Sapien points at the airship that is hovering above that he had not noticed. He looks at Sapien in question.

"The world needed to see what you have done," his friend answers. Speaking as if he had known and he must have known. He can see one of the ancient texts that his father had studied so long ago in Sapien's hand and realizes it must be the one that his father had kept with him on the day that he had been murdered. It must have been taken that day. How everything had turned out just right, despite all the hardships that he had, had to endure. Definitely not the way Etro had planned and that makes him smile all the more.

He looks out into the city, towards one of the many jumbo trons and sees his image as he holds Stella for the entire city to witness. Despite his being used to keeping things secret, he is surprised to find himself somehow relieved that this has been seen by the people he wanted to keep safe. He is thankful to Sapien. Turning around he looks back at the other nine in question. Their faces are beaming back at him. As he looks, he can see their very crystals as they shine within each of them. They shine so brightly that he wonders if any of them can see it.

"The crowds need to see you, Noctis" says Militis. "Step forward and let them see you."

He finds that he still hesitates.

"Go Noctis," says Sol as he gives him a nod. "We are right behind you."

He nods as he reaches to entwine his fingers with Stella's as he makes his way to the edge of the building to face the crowds below. The roars of applause are so loud that it sounds like they are right in front of him, even from this high up. He can feel the others as they come to stand just behind him and Stella as he raises their entwined hands to the people below. The crowd erupts and he smiles as he nods down at them in gratitude.

There is an unfamiliar sense of peace within him now. A weight that he has carried so long has finally been lifted. He feels different. It is almost like he is a different person. His chest feels relaxed and he feels so light that he thinks he could almost fly. As he reaches up to kiss Stella's hand, he smiles at her as she smiles back at him and he knows that the nightmares, those terrifying nightmares that he has had to endure for so long, shall finally cease.

* * *

End Notes: Any requests? I was thinking of doing one with Fulgur and Astra.


	19. Specto

A/N: I decided I would try a different POV for this one. That POV being Fulgur's because I think he's so stern and proper and stiff. It was a challenge to make sure that he did not sound like Noctis either. You can tell me if he does.

Specto is latin for "to look at, watch, see".

_**Specto**_

Perspective. People reacted to things often based on what they perceived rather than the reality of what they actually were. Most times they overreacted to things that really were of no matter and then did not react enough when things did. Misconceptions and prejudices often clouded proper judgment and made people become irrational, panicky sort of creatures instead of the civilized beings that they professed to be. He has no tolerance nor any patience for irrational creatures. He supposes that is why he has grown rather fond of Noctis. The last remaining one of the Caelum dynasty was not an irrational creature but a rather level headed man. He did not believe in indulging preconceived, misjudged notions. They all knew he had been completely misrepresented all these years. There was something very honorable and likeable about him. So he found he liked the black spiky haired man in retrospect.

Spending so much time with all these varying personalities had exposed his lack of social skills. A lack he had never considered before. In his country, it had not been a real necessity for him to speak very much for those around him to understand what he wanted and what he meant. He realizes now, how abrupt he truly was when he thought he was merely being direct. With the other Crystal Bearers, things had been a little difficult initially since they did not know him. Being offensive had not been his intention when he had merely thought he was being to the point. Beating around the bush had never been his forte. Apparently, though, there was a fine line between bluntness and rudeness. He had learned the meaning of being tactful instead. It was a very foreign sort of transition for him. Yet one thing that he could not change was his patience with those who did not get over their predisposed inclinations. Intolerance, he thought, had no room with this new world that they were trying to create together.

That may explain why he has fallen in love with Astra so completely too. As stiff and impatient as he can be, she had never looked at him with irritation or fear. She had always merely accepted him and did not merely tolerate his less than loveable personality. She was so completely different than he was. It was also that she had touched him first. Strange that such a simple thing as touch had, had such a profound meaning to him. Touch had not been a common thing amongst his family. Love had been there but affection was just not within his culture to express. Especially for someone like him, who seemed to radiate energy like his namesake, lightning. Touching could sometimes be physically painful because of his powers but she never seemed to mind that either. He had not even thought to find the action of simple touch pleasing until the day Astra had touched him. It had been random in a sense but completely frightening to him. There had been no ulterior motive behind her hand touching his, just an offer of comfort and sympathy not pity and reproach. With one small touch of her hand, she had buried herself within him and to his stunned surprise, had remained there ever since.

The upcoming nuptials of Noctis and Stella brought up yet another unfamiliar sensation within him. That sensation being a bit of envy. From the very beginning, he had known that the two were irrevocably in love with each other. You would have had to have been blind not to see it. As obtuse as everyone thought him, he was really rather observant. The fact that he rarely mentioned his observations did not mean that he did not have them. In regards Noctis and Stella, you would have had to have been deaf, blind and dumb to have missed it. They were bound to each other in ways that other people could not even fathom. There had been numerous times where they had exchanged glances and he had been almost positive that they had been speaking telepathically to each other. Before, he would have scoffed at how ludicrous merely the thought of such a thing was, to be accomplished. Now, he does not think it so ludicrous. Noctis was capable of a great many things that would have seemed ludicrous before. So talking within his mind did not seem too far fetched for Noctis. Sometimes he wonders if Noctis has ever tried to talk to him in the same manner. That was a very intriguing thought.

Out of courtesy and a little bit of curiosity, he had arrived a week before the wedding was to take place to see of what assistance he could be to the groom. He had not really expected, though he had hoped, that Astra would arrive early as well. It was both an aggravating and arresting feeling when he felt his heart skip a beat at the mere sight of her. The way it always did now, whenever he was near her. It was so far from the calm and collected demeanor that were his typical traits and he was not sure what he was going to do about it. He was not able to control this reaction whenever he saw her. Perhaps, he wonders, he needs to see a physician about this problem. Never, has he encountered this sort of a problem before. The particulars of the heart being a bit of a mystery to him. He wondered if he had caught some sort of physical condition, since he had never thought that feelings could be linked to physical ailments.

Noctis and his companions were not as busy as it would appear they would have been. In his country, weddings were simple affairs that were arranged by the groom's family. He has since learned that different countries celebrated such an event quite differently. Besides, Noctis was not an ordinary person, he was the leader of the Crystal Bearers and a king of his own realm. The event could not have been anything less than complex as that. It had become quickly obvious that men generally do not have any power when it came to their own weddings. It was the bride in question that made the demands and ran around in a flurry of chaotic activity trying to prepare everything to their satisfaction. If anything, Noctis seemed just as perplexed as he did when it came to the matters of wedding themes and china patterns or which napkins best suited the table setting. Yet, instead of frowning in disapproval as he surely would have, Noctis always had a small smirk on his face when he observed his fiance flittering about as she had taken to doing the closer the wedding became. There was infinite patience, pride and love in the red eyes of the other man whenever he caught him regarding her. Whatever cause for exasperation from the other man, it had not been regarding Stella. If anything, his impatience only showed when he witnessed how stressed and overburdened his future wife was becoming, with all the details that really did not make any difference.

He has been that told that Stella has not made any ostentatious demands and that as a bride, she has been nothing but courteous and polite to everyone during this difficult process. What he has since learned of Stella during their acquaintance has been that she has always been rather level headed in times of stress, but during this week, it looked as if her levelheadedness was being tested to its limits. Who knew there was so much to planning a wedding? Upon his unexpected arrival within in Nihilsomno, whenever he happened upon her, she was still nothing but the same smiling creature that knew when to fight and when to step away. She did that now but she backed down far less than she had in the debates they had often had within their conferences. In passing once, he heard her mumble something like, "I never realized there were so many shades of white." He had never realized such a thing either and they had shared a mutual perplexed look before she continued on her way. Not a moment later, a tailor trailed along behind her asking which white she had decided on. He was not sure who he felt more sorry for during this entire business, Noctis or Stella.

"There you are, Flash!" cries a familiar voice.

There was only one person in the world that would dare give him a nickname.

"Desipio," he answers with his usual quick nod.

"How many times do I have to tell you to call me, 'Des'?" asks the dirty blond haired man that always wore a rifle over his shoulder.

"Calling you such would imply we were in a more intimate acquaintance," he answers.

"Okay that could have sounded all sorts of wrong if it hadn't have come from you, Flash," answers Des with both a shudder and a laugh. "You talk more fancier than Noct."

"Yes, well perhaps we were just stressed with a different level of decorum," he answers, trying his very best to say it diplomatically but he is sure that still sounded harsh.

Des responds as he usually does, with a dismissive shrug and a laugh. He has never met another man that was quite so willing to over look another's less than desirable qualities. He is sure that he can pretty much say the worst that he really feels and the other man would simple laugh at how properly worded the insult was then tease him good-naturedly in return. This probably being the reason he tolerates that the other man calls him "Flash" in the first place.

"Hello there," says the lone female voice that gets his heart to flutter with its sultry sound.

He whirls around and feels his shoulders straighten in reaction to cover over how uncomfortable he feels.

"Hello Astra," he replies with a small bow.

"Hey Red." answers Des easily. "Off doing official bride business?"

"Yes, I am actually," Astra replies sheepishly. Her face turns a charming shade of pink that makes his mouth twitch with the temptation to smile. "Could you tell me where I could find a nice handkerchief?"

"Um, what do you need that for?"

"In case Stella cries," she explains but it is clear that is not the only reason.

Des gives him a mischievous look before grinning again. "This past week I've learned not to question wedding things," he offers to him as if its the best advice to give. "Wouldn't have a clue, Red. But safest bet would be one of the maids."

"That is just the thing," says Astra. "It has to be a certain kind."

"What kind?" Fulgur asks curiously. He had not realized there were different kinds.

It was a question that Des regretted he asked, because it then put them in charge of finding the said handkerchief in question. Since Astra did not have time to go outside of the castle that day, it had been left to them to procure the item.

"How the blue blazes did we get ourselves into this mess?" cries Des as they walk out of yet another store that did not have just the right kind that Astra had wanted.

"I inadvertently asked," he answers honestly.

Des gives out a laugh and raps him on the shoulder.

"It was a rhetorical question, Flash. But thanks, you've just told me you're no good at cards."

"How does that tell you I am not good at playing cards?"

"Because you can't lie," Des answers smugly. "Noct's the same way with us. He's crap at lying."

"But he pretended so long," he says with a confused frown.

"Only because they were too stupid to actually see how smart Noct really is," Des explains. "Noct is good at hiding, but if he's got to tell you a lie, he's no good at it. That's why he's quiet when he doesn't want to tell you something."

He can see how that made sense. Noctis was not an overly talkative man, but he did speak more than someone who would be considered shy. Noctis was definitely not shy, merely wary.

"We are such saps to be out like this," says Des as they continue walking. "Has to be scented. Has to be a certain lace... what the flippin' frak does all that mean? Snot is snot. Don't matter what kind of lace. It's all nasty when its in there."

He had to concur with that.

"She also said it had to be blue," he reminds him.

He wants to smile at the way Des smacks his head in frustration but he feels the same urge himself.

It is an hour later before they find a suitable store that carried the item that Astra had described to them. He had to admit that it was a more superior piece of clothe, but as Des pointed out in front of the merchant, it was still a bloody clothe. It had never occurred to him how refreshing it was to be around someone who spoke so colorfully and energetically all the time. He had not had to voice any of his discomfort and irritation at going to this much trouble in finding a very simple item. Des said everything for him and in terms that he would have not spoken but completely agreed with. It had surprisingly put him at ease. There was no cause for people to think him so brisk when his cheerful companion said everything that would be considered rude for him. He rather found he liked that.

"Here, Flash," says Des as he hands him the carefully wrapped package containing the elusive handkerchief. "You make sure to give it to, Red."

"But we should give it to her together," he insists. "We both went through such lengths to get it."

"Nah, you go on ahead," insists Des as he pushes him towards Stella's rooms. "You go on in there and give it to, Red."

He finds himself hesitating as he stands in front of the door.

"It is not proper."

"It is proper to deliver the fruits of our labor," answers Des as he knocks on the door for him. "Let me know how it goes."

He is just done talking when the door flies open to reveal a rather flustered Astra. The light is coming through just behind her and catches the redness of her hair and the fairness of her skin. He finds himself transfixed as he always is. No words come out as he feels the effects of momentary paralysis. He watches as her face brightens at the sight of him and his heart does that perplexing flutter again.

"Oh you found it!" she cries as she reaches out to grab his arm to pull him inside and closes the door behind him. "Stella! Fulgur found it!"

"Found what?" asks Stella curiously but he cannot see her.

With a gesture from Astra, he walks further into the room and can finally see her. She is standing before a small plateau with various pieces of garments laid out for her perusal. She looks as flustered as Astra had been when she first answered the door.

"Your handkerchief!" says Astra as she rushes past him to let Stella open the package.

"Astra, you told Fulgur to get it?" asks Stella as she looks up at him with horrified eyes. "I am so sorry, Fulgur. You really didn't have to."

"It was a pleasure," he finds himself saying.

"It is just that," says Stella as tears start to gather in her eyes. "My mother had given me a blue, lace handkerchief to have on my wedding day and when I found it earlier, it practically fell apart in my hands."

Sentimental value. He has not really had experience with it but he is not so unfeeling that he cannot be understanding. Her explanation softens the initial irritation of his trouble through the city of Nihilsomno in search of it.

"Thank you so much," says Stella as she sniffs. "I do not have much of my mother and given the resent stress of late, I was overwhelmed."

"I can imagine," he says and it does not come out unkindly. "Desipio deserves thanks as well. We went together."

"I am sure you both had a very interesting time," she says as diplomatically as he tries to be and he is thankful for her thoughtfulness.

"Well, I will see you both later," he says with a brief bow as he moves to exit the rooms.

"Thank you again, Fulgur," calls Stella as he is walking away.

"You cannot know how much this means to her," says Astra as she walks with him. "Thank you so much."

"Anything I can do to help," he says as he stops just at the door to look down at her. "Anything for you."

Her cheeks turn that endearing shade of pink again and he has the urge to touch her face.

"Fulgur, I..."

"There is no need to say it again. I know how you feel," he responds to save her the trouble. "Your feelings do not change mine, Astra." He moves towards the door to open it.

"I wish I could be everything you wanted, Fulgur," says Astra with regret.

"You are," he says, opening the door without looking at her. "Everything I want."

He walks through the door before she can utter a response to his confession. The door closes quickly behind him and he stands stiffly, knowing that she is just on the other side. He had known from the very beginning that Astra had merely been showing him kindness. Not a special sort of kindness but the kindness that was just within her person to give to everyone. Even if that one was so rough as he was. If anyone was to feel inadequate in any way, it was him and not her. He was just not the sort of man to be loved by someone as gentle and kind as Astra. They did not match. A fact that he was quite aware of. It did not stop his own feelings, however, from deepening every time he saw her. It did not stop this ache in his chest whenever he thinks about her kind rejection of him.

"So, how did it go?" asks Des, drawing his attention away from his disparaging thoughts.

"Stella appreciated the gift," he answers briskly.

"I wasn't talking about Stella."

"Astra was thankful as well," he answers just as briskly.

"She's not smart enough for you," blurts out Des.

"I beg your pardon?" he asks.

"Astra, she isn't smart enough to appreciate you," explains Des.

He knows he must have blinked dumbly at the other man several times.

"Astra is a very intelligent woman," he states. He knows he would not have fallen for her otherwise.

"Don't get me wrong," says Des. "I like Red. I just think she needs to wisen up is all."

"Wisen up?" he repeats.

"You're a great catch. She should realize it before someone else snatches you."

He blinks again as he regards the other man.

"She loves you too, you know," says Des as he seems to read something from his face.

"I fail to see..." he says as he feels his heart pound at the hopeful though, but quickly pushes it down.

"No, no, I know what I'm talking about here," says Des as he leads him away from the door.

"Offering advice when advice has not been asked for," he states.

"You don't need to ask for advice for it to come. It's usually the unwelcome ones that get you thinking," answers Des with a grin. It makes him wonder if there was ever a time Des would actually get offended by a remark. "Not likely. The guys tease me all the time."

He had never considered himself a transparent person, so he is a little bit rattled at the fact that Des could read him so easily. That thought too, must have shown on his face.

"I have had nothing to do but watch all of you these past couple months," Des explains. "So I can tell you things."

"I am sure you can," he agrees evenly.

"You're too serious, Flash," says Des as he smacks him on the shoulder.

People did not usually hit him. People did not usually come close enough to even touch him.

"But you definitely are not a brooder," says Des. "Thank goodness for that! Knowing one is enough."

"Where are we going?"

"Today is Noctis' Stag party," he explains.

"A what party?"

"A Stag," repeats Des as if he should know what that was. Then he sees the confused look on his face and offers an explanation. "It is the last party that he can attend while still being a single man."

"But he is not a single man."

Des stops to look at him. "Looks like you're going to have to be educated."

"What is the purpose of a stag party?"

"Get into as much trouble as we can."

Get into as much trouble as they can. Trouble seemed a very inaccurate word considering Noctis and his companions could do anything they wanted and not have to worry about any consequences. He is just about to argue this fact but Des beats him to the punch again.

"Now, now. It means we're entitled to getting a little crazy is all."

"What sort of crazy?" he asks. He has never done anything that would be considered unacceptable before.

"Hey Noct!" cries Des as a familiar head of black, spiky hair comes into view. "Is everyone ready for your party?"

"If by ready, you mean all the guys are waiting for you then yes, we are ready," is the easy reply from their leader. Red eyes turn to regard him.

They both nod to each other in silent greeting.

"Flash here has never been to a Stag party," states Des.

"Technically, you have not either, Des," answers Noctis with a smirk.

"Something tells me it won't be my last either," grins Des knowingly.

"Desipio has not really explained what you do during a Stag Party," he states looking at Noctis for an explanation.

"It's Des! Dagnabbit Flash, you gotta stop with the full name," cries Des.

"I am told that we are to cause mischief tonight," explains Noctis, which means that he does not know either.

"He's not being very fun about it. Not even married yet but refuses a stripper," complains Des.

"I do not have to be married to be smart," states Noctis. "Stella would castrate me if I even thought to."

"Stell would understand."

"She certainly would not," answers Noctis. "I would not either."

Something about the way he says it makes him look at Noctis in question.

"Stella said that if I had any sort of female entertainment then she should be allowed male entertainment," explains Noctis.

"It's not as if Stell will find out," argues Des.

Noctis gives him a look. "Of course she will find out."

"Oh, right," says Des dejectedly and his tone makes him wonder exactly what Noctis meant. "All the guys ready?"

"Grando is very eager to see a different side of Nihilsomno," answers Noctis evenly.

"I would have thought Sol would be the one," he states.

The two other men snicker at his comment.

"Does Stella know that tonight is this Stag Party?" he asks Noctis as they make their way outside.

"No," answers Noctis. "But I am sure she will find out."

"Well then we'd better hurry before Noct accidentally tells her," says Des as he rushes them along.

He wonders why Des is worried considering Noctis would not be seeing Stella if they are leaving now. It almost makes him wonder but by then the others are in sight.

The rest of the male Crystal Bearers are already waiting along with Sapien and Vires.

"Ready to become a man tonight, Vitrum?" asks Des as he puts his arm around the shorter Vitrum. "Ouch!"

"Don't get any ideas," says Vires as he raps Des on the head again. "The kid's only fourteen."

"He's going to be our chaperone," says Sapien as he smiles down at the younger man.

"Make sure we all get back in one piece," agrees Des with a laugh.

"I think it would take all nine of us to make sure you do," states Sol with a smirk.

"Didn't know you cared so much, Goldie," says Des.

"We should all get into the cars," says Noctis.

There are five, fully armored, black sedans that are ready to take them to their first stop. First stop because he is assured by Des that they will not be stopping at just one. He wonders just what he was getting himself into but he cannot fight his curiosity. In his country, there were no such male gatherings right before a wedding. Weddings, in general, were not really big affairs.

"You gotta wear your crown, Noct!" protests Des as he and Noctis struggle with a very cheaply made contraption that he assumes is the crown but looks more like a pair of antlers.

"Not happening, Des," presses Noctis. "You should wear it instead."

"But I'm not the Stag!"

He does not hear anymore since the car door slams behind him as he sits beside Tonitrus.

"Did you have such a party before your wedding?" he asks the loud mouthed man as they drive along.

"I did," Tonitrus answers. "Can't remember a thing from it though."

"A good or bad thing?"

"Would never tell the Mrs if that's what you're asking," answers the other man with a knowing grin on his face.

He does not want to ask him for details. He is sure he is better off not knowing.

It has always seemed to him that Stella was somewhat of an understanding woman but he wonders if she would be understanding if they did anything as uncouth as Des had been suggesting. Female entertainment was not something to be openly talked of in his land. He feels like he is in for something he is not sure he is ready for.

Their first stop turned out to be an abandoned warehouse of sorts. It was the late afternoon already, but the sun was still in the sky so he could see that it was rather dark within the building. The ten of them all walk inside when strobe lights suddenly flash around them. A quirk glance shows that there are various boulders and barriers littered about the place. He turns to look at the others to see if any of them knew what was going on before the lights turn off completely and a spotlight shines directly on Des. Des who is suddenly wearing clear goggles and carrying a rather childish looking weapon in his hands.

"Before we start this game, we have to establish a few rules here," he says to the group of men before him. "I know ya'll are talented with your crystals but if you use them here, you're disqualified. No teams. It's best man wins."

"Sounds easy enough," says Militis confidently.

Sapien and Vires begin passing out shot glasses.

"These are the first of many," explains Des. "Drink up ladies."  
Fulgur stops to sniff at the contents and his nose feels like its on fire.

"No cheating, Flash! Just drink it," says Des.

"I would rather..."

"Come on, Fulgur," says Grando.

"Be a sport," says Sol as he downs his own glass.

He pauses a moment longer before he swallows the contents of the glass whole and feels the burn as the liquid goes down his throat. He is by no means a lightweight but whatever that was, it was very potent.

"Give me that," says Militis as he takes Vitrum's out of his hand. "It'll put premature hairs on your chest."

"That is a bad thing?" asks Sol.

"You should know," says Des. "You wax yours off."

"The one that is the dirtiest has to chug five of those," explains Sapien. "The rest of us get to judge who is less dirty at the end. The cleanest one at the end is proclaimed the winner and gets to pass on more drinks."

"Is that really winning?" asks Tonitrus as he smacks his lips.

He can understand why the other man cannot remember his own Stag Party now. Motivation to win was not to drink that foul stuff again. Which was a good enough motivation. Each of them get thrown their own goggles and "weapon" before the lights go off again.

"Remember, no powers," warns Des. "It means you automatically have to chug the five shots."

Easier said than done considering their runes flashed whenever there was any apparent danger but considering they were not in any danger, it would be possible.

"When the allotted time is up the lights will turn on automatically," explains Sapien.

"Begin!" cries Vires and the chaos begins.

It is not a moment later when he feels, rather than sees, something whizz past his head and he hears a plop of something liquid before he can feel it seep onto arm. Whatever it was, it was bright and it was sticky and upon sniffing, he realizes that it is paint. These ridiculous looking weapons contained paint pellets?

There was no other time to think because it was time to dodge and time to retaliate. He was not going to be the one drinking five more of those foul, foggy brain inducing drinks. He could feel more fires whiz past him as he hurtles forward and goes into a roll to avoid an attack. His finger does not release the trigger as he fires at whatever figures he can make out in the darkness. The strobe lights move quickly along the walls and the ground making it a little difficult to see what was going on and who was shooting at whom. He has to blink several times as he realizes that the effect of the alcohol combined with the flashing lights, made you feel disoriented.

Within the hazy, semi darkness he knows that he catches a couple of the others and he goes into a fast run as he tries to dodge and out maneuver the others. There is the echo of rapid fire and the splatter of impact. He hears grunts and various curses of surprise as the shooting continues. A grunt of his own escapes his lips as he feels a pellet come against his stomach. These toys actually hurt. He fires anew and feels a swell of pride when he hears he has hit someone else. The firing continues and he is hit once more but he makes sure that he is not alone in getting marked.

It was all over too quickly before the lights all switched on at once and it took him several blinks before his eyes adjusted to the brightness.

"Now, let's see," says Vires, as they all eye each other and see all the various shades of paint that each of them has been coated with.

It was almost predictable that Grando was the one most covered in the many paints.

"But I fell!" protests the clumsy man.

"How many times?" asks Militis as the rest laugh.

"Five shots for you," says Des with a smirk.

They all unanimously decided that Sol was next. If for no other reason than to see the overly narcissistic man brought down a peg. At his protest, Militis and Tonitrus tied him and the three of them were given four shots each. Then it was Des, Vires and Sapien that were next with three shots. He had to drink two and Noctis just the one. Which left Vitrum to be proclaimed the champion of this battle. He strongly suspects, though his mind is still just a tad bit hazy to protest, that Noctis had maneuvered the game so that the young man would win amongst so many other men. It was not really the point of the matter since they all fired away the last of their remaining ammunition once the shots had been consumed and everyone was equally filthy afterwards. Then another round of shots was passed around, which he had inconspicuously thrown over his shoulder. At least, he thought he was being inconspicuous when he spied Noctis giving him a knowing smirk before tossing his own over his shoulder. It was a bit of a comfort to know that someone else wanted to remain just a little bit sound of mind for the rest of this.

"So where is our next spot?" asks Tonitrus as they all sat around, resting after their last round of paint battles.

"Masque," answers Sapien.

"Masque?" asks Militis.

"I have heard of that place," says Sol. "They never hold it in the same place twice."

"Why am I not surprised that you've heard of it," says Des.

"Not my fault if the ladies have already asked me in previous visits," shrugs Sol haughtily.

"What ladies?" asks Des.

"Wouldn't you like to know," Sol responds with a raised eyebrow.

"We can't very well go covered in paint," says Grando.

"We are not going back to the castle to change are we?" asks Vitrum.

"And mess up the interiors of the cars?" asks Des. "No way that's happening. The cleaners would have my hide."

"Besides," says Sapien. "We have that covered."

"Heads up Sunshine!" cries Des as he hurles a round sort of balloon directly towards Sol's head.

It splatters on impact and soon Sol's previously paint colored hair is sudsy instead.

No one has time to really react before Vires has a hose on them and more sud containing balloons are hurled towards the rest of them. One connects solidly to the back of his head with a loud splash. As he reaches up to touch it, he finds that it is shampoo mixed with water. He does not stop to think how clever such an idea was because by then he is more interested in how to obtain the hose and offer some sort of retribution of his own.

Clean was a relative term thirty minutes later but they were much better off than they had been previously. Considering the majority had not known they would be involved in a battle of paint, they had not thought to bring a change of garments. So they had been given garments to wear to this Masque place they were set to go to next. He would never be known as a man of fashion but he had looked at his chosen garments and frowned. They were sensible enough though a bit more fitted than he was used to. The cut of the pants were a bit slimmer and the jacket was expertly tailored, like the ones Noctis would wear to the official dinners. It was made somewhat appealing by the fact that they were each given a costume mask to wear along with it. Each of their masks varied and his was rather simple. It was white with a little black for detail and it did not frighten away. He supposes his stern countenance was enough to do that without the aid of a scary mask. Des', was a bright red with a devilish smirk painted on it. It was very reminiscent of his usual grin. It suited him well.

Before long, they were all herded back into their cars and jetted to wherever this party was being held. This time though, he was riding with Noctis.

"Are you having a pleasant time?" he asks.

"I got Sol in the head with hot pink paint, what do you think?" Noctis answers with a smirk.

Yes, he imagined that would be very satisfying.

"I do not imagine that you would be one to indulge too frequently in recreational revelry," he observes bluntly.

"By that you mean the heavy drinking and clubbing," states Noctis.

"Correct," he says.

Noctis gives him a shrug. "A Stag Party is not really for the groom. It is for his friends to celebrate or mourn, whichever you prefer, his step into the responsibility of marriage."

"So you do this without protest because you know this is what your friends would find enjoyable."

"Yes," Noctis answers.

"This is not a new thing for you," he observes.

"Growing up, I had to maintain the appearance of a party loving, playboy prince," explains Noctis. "Pretending to enjoy wine, woman and song."

"But you do not really enjoy them."

"I cannot afford to indulge too freely. Especially now," Noctis answers as he looks at him. "Imagine what I could do if I were ever inebriated."

"How very confining for you," he responds. He had indulged in liquer to the point of drunkenness before. It had been very satisfying in its own way, especially the night Astra had rejected him. He feels a twinge of sympathy for the younger man for missing out on something that was so common.

Noctis merely shrugs again in response. "That does not mean I have not had my fun."

Noctis smirks at him and he has no doubts that he has discovered ways to keep himself entertained. He thinks of what an unconventional life he has had. So different from the life that he himself has lived. Culturally restricted was completely different from being restricted by only one's sense of duty and principal. Within a cultural restriction, there are many others who will pressure you to conform. He had been one of those doing the pressing. Restriction by one's own duty and principal was very difficult. It showed a remarkable will of character.

"I apologize," he says.

Noctis turns to him with a frown. "What for?"

"For telling you that your behavior towards Stella was despicable," he explains. "I did not even consider what sort of motives you had. It was intolerant of me."

"You do not need to apologize," Noctis dismisses. "I did act horribly to Stella and you were right to say so. I appreciate your candor. An honest observation is so refreshing after having lived with one lie after another."

"Was it... difficult for you?"

"Unimaginably difficult," was the distant answer.

"I am sure Sol's actions did not help."

"No, I suppose they did not," is the answer. "I was selfish."

"How do you mean?"

"Selfish because I was could not be with her but I could not let anyone else be with her either."

"Stella would not have married Sol regardless."

"I would have hated myself for doing that to her," says Noctis as he looks out of the window to the rapidly passing scenery around them. "She deserves more than a life of solitude."

"So do you," he points out.

Red eyes look surprised as they turn to look at him.

"I am glad you two are finally able to be together with no interferences."

"She is the one true light within my darkness," Noctis says.

There is so much depth and emotion within that simple statement that even his stiff persona is touched by it.

He finds that a suitable analogy to think over and his thoughts unconsciously go to Astra. Was she that important as Stella was to Noctis? What Noctis did for Stella, would he do for Astra? He had never known rejection until her. He had not even given much thought to marriage being associated to anything of the romantic sort at all. It was in the near future and he might have even had it all arranged by his council. Love and passion would not have been something he would have looked for in a mate. All that was really needed was proper companionship and support. Of course there was also the need for heirs. Yet, in the case of the man beside him and his future bride, he found everything. There was love and there was passion, but there was also companionship and respect. It felt complete in a way that he feels he will never feel.

"Did you think you would ever marry someone like Stella?" he finds himself asking as he thinks about the differences between himself and Astra.

Noctis gives out a little laugh at the question. "I did not expect to live long enough to consider marriage at all."

"Yet you are faced with both."

"Yes, now I am faced with both."

"How do you feel about that?"

He watches as Noctis turns to look out again in thought. "I used to feel afraid," Noctis answers. "Now I am happy."

Happy. He wonders if he has ever felt that particular emotion. Contentment, yes. Happiness, he is not so sure. Things like joy and happiness were not exactly things that he had ever experienced. His life was full of satisfaction and contentment so he was not glum or depressed. Lately though, he has had such a queer emotion. Ever since Astra had rejected him, he was finding contentment somewhat harder to achieve. Things were not as satisfying either. Even if they were things that he had found a measure of pleasure in doing before. It was indeed very perplexing. Then, of course, there was that ache in his chest too.

"I think you should drink this," says Noctis as he hands him a bottle.

"Why?"

"Because you are thinking dark thoughts. I can tell," Noctis answers. "We cannot have any of that tonight."

"Dark thoughts will still be dark, even though they may get hazy with alcohol."

"Well then we shall take your dark thoughts away," is the answer. "Where we are going, everyone will be masked. No one will know the other's identities. You can choose to be who you will choose to be without any of your hated preconceived judgments and prejudices. You should find it very liberating."

He takes the offered bottle as he thinks this over. Perhaps it would be quite refreshing, not only liberating if he could don the mask and be someone not himself. He cheers Noctis and takes a swig from the bottle. The drink is not foul at all as it smoothly glides down his throat, but it is still a bit potent. He lets out a breathe and tries to relax.

"No worries. I shall stop you if you get too out of control," reassures Noctis with a grin.

"If you are not too preoccupied with getting Desipio out of trouble," he replies.

"Oh he and Vires have Sapien to do that," Noctis says with a laugh.

He can see that Sapien has had a lot of practice in that.

They arrive at a nondescript area of the city. It looked more like the industrial portion from the various warehouses and factories. Nothing too extraordinary around them and it made him wonder if they were really at the right place. Everyone got out of their cars and he can already tell that most of them will not remember what will transpire the rest of tonight. They look far too inebriated already. Obviously most of them had not had any indepth conversations while en route.

"This does not look like a party," states Militis, dumbly.

"In your state, I am surprised you can tell," responds Sol.

Sapien moves to the sidewalk and stomps down hard with his foot three times. He steps back just as two iron doors swing up and open and a platform comes forth. It is big enough for all of them to cram onto before it descends.

"Never let it be said that we Nihil do now know how to throw a party," answers Sapien as bumping sounds become the beats of loud music as they descend onto the party room floor.

The place is absolutely full to capacity already. The main dance floor is flooded with waves upon waves of people swaying to the rhythm of the pulsating music. Everyone is wearing masks of different styles and fashions. Strobe lights of varying colors litter the area and they are completely consumed as soon as they reach the bottom of the shaft. Their party is quickly disassembled and he loses sight of most of them straight away. He does see that Sapien seemed to keep Vitrum near him while he was not far behind the boisterous pair of Des and Vires. Noctis was still beside him and everyone else was soon lost in a sea of masks. He was a bit out of sorts whereas Noctis only seemed relatively at ease, if a little bored. He watches as the other man grabs a glass from a passing waiter and hands it to him.

"Remember, you can be someone a little different tonight," Noctis tells him.

He watches as the shorter man seems to have seen something within the middle of the dance floor. Red eyes look focused and intent but his own quick glance in the same direction turns up fruitless. There was nobody there that he recognized. But Noctis has obviously recognized someone.

"I must leave you now," he says. He turns briefly to pat his shoulder. "Have fun tonight."

He does not give him any time to form a response before he makes his way into the crowd and soon, even his impossibly spiky hair disappears amongst the throngs of people.

Which left him alone, by himself, with no way to entertain himself. He looks over and sees a familiar head which could be Tonitrus and on the other side of the room are the troublesome three with Vitrum. With a loud sigh, that gets lost in the noise of the party, he begins to make his way towards them. If anything, he would be able to amuse himself as he watched Des become increasingly intoxicated for the rest of the night. He reaches the middle of the dance floor when something compels him to turn his head.

Even with a full mask and straight hair, he would know her anywhere. It was in the way she carried herself. It was in the way she moved. There was no disguising what she was to him and what she was, was beautiful and enchanting. He knows he will never meet anyone like her again. Without even meaning to, he finds himself gravitating towards her. Even flooded with people, he makes room as he brushes past an endless floor of artificial faces to reach her. He does not even notice them. Never does he take his eyes off her. Once he is just behind her, he finds himself at a loss. Would she reject him to a dance as she had kindly rejected his affection? He would normally properly ask for a dance but tonight, he was not to be himself and this circumstance did not call for decorum.

So, he does what he feels is as direct as it is different to himself. He reaches for her waist and pulls her gently but firmly towards him. She had been in mid sway so he uses her momentum to easily bring her against him as his mouth reaches just past the edge of her mask to her ear.

"Dance with me," he breathes and he can feel her shiver against him.

She turns her face to look at him and it looks as if she is equally transfixed by him as he always was of her.

"Yes," she breathes as she arches into him and they begin to move together.

He is not sure how long they dance, but he is sure that one song ends and another begins. He is just not sure how many. He is far too busy staying close to the object of his desire. She makes no move to separate herself from him and she does not try to speak either. They both simply move to the music as they move together. He cannot make out the expressions on her face but he can see her green eyes sparkle as they look up at him and he feels a twinge of envy that he has never seen her regard him in such a manner before. Would that she look upon that way without the aid of a mask.

There is a lull in the music and without a word, she looks up at him and he follows her off the dance floor. They make their way to the bar and he scans the area for his comrades. He can still see Sapien with Des, Vires and Vitrum on the other side and is relieved to see that they had not separated yet. Though it does look like Des is trying to give drunken pointers to an amused looking Vitrum. On one edge of the bar, he can see the tall head of Tonitrus with the shorter one of Militis and can tell that the two are heavily engaged in a drinking match. He maneuvers himself and Astra towards the other end where they cannot be seen. Looking for Sol and Noctis seemed to be fruitless as they were the only two he could not see. The music has started up again and it looks as if even more people had arrived within this cramped space.

"What will you have?" he asks Astra as he allows her to sit on one of the many neon colored stools along the bar.

"Surprise me," she tells the bartender and he nods for the same. She looks up into his masked face and smiles. "This is quite the party."

"It is," he answers as he gives the bartender a nod and a few pieces of currency. He gives him enough for any refills that they may need. "Do you come to parties like this often?"

"No," she says as she looks out into the dance floor. He watches her take small sips of her drink and he follows her lead. "It sounds so cliched that parties such as these are new to me."

That is a comfort to know.

"Are you alone?" he asks.

"I was," she says with a small smile on her lips.

Alone and unescorted to a place like this. Not like her at all, but maybe he did not know her as he thought he did. Had she come here hoping to meet some stranger for an interlude of sorts? The thought makes him feel a little bit disappointed and offended, but he swallows it as he swallows the rest of his drink.

"Does that upset you?" she asks as if she can read his thoughts.

"It should make no difference to me," he replies. Should, being the operative word.

"I wanted to be something else tonight," she confesses.

"Have always been a proper lady, have you?" he asks and he tries to make it sound teasing, like he has seen Des do many a time.

"Sheltered," she replies. "The idea seemed like a good one. To get away, but I find I cannot."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean that I came to forget and I feel I shall never forget."

"Forget what?"

"That I am a fool," she says putting her drink down. "I..."

She is cut off by the sounds of sirens. The sound puzzles him for just a moment before he realizes that perhaps this gathering was most likely an illegal one. He does not stop to ponder how ironic it is that the king of the realm was in attendance, before he takes Astra's hand and guides her towards the nearest exit. People scatter in the encroaching madness and he keeps his grip firm as he keeps her by his side. Though he is not too familiar with the streets of Nihilsomno, he knows enough to hide within the darken alley a block away. He pulls her into the darkness and holds her close as the guards rush past in search of wayward party goers.

A moment of silence passes between them before she starts to let out a breathy laugh. She covers her mouth as she giggles further. He cannot help but to smile too in reaction.

"Who would have thought," she says. "Thank you for that."

"You are most welcome," he answers in a low tone so she cannot make out his voice.

"I have never done anything quite like that in my life," she confesses. She puts her hands to the ties of her mask and he feels a rush of panic. That small part of him that wants to see where this would go if they continued the charade of faceless strangers. He knows that once the masks are off, he will no longer hold her interest as he does now. So he presses his hands against hers to stop her from unveiling herself.

"Perhaps we should wait until we are sure we are out of the danger before we unmask ourselves," he suggests.

She gives him a curious look instead of a suspicious one but nods as she lets go of her ties.

"Are you sure enough to come with me?" he asks.

A smile creeps up onto her face and his heart that does familiar fluttering at the sight. Even covered with a jeweled mask, she is still the most stunning creature he has ever beheld. She nods and he does not stop to worry about her trust in a total stranger. He offers her his hand and she takes it without any hesitation.

After briefly roaming the streets to see if there was anyone about, he takes her along the empty sidewalk. He is not worried about the dangers, but he knows if he were a simple citizen, he would be. So he keeps with his charade and acts as if he is concerned about getting caught as they keep to the shadows. They are just about to enter a busy square within the city when he feels her tug on his hand to stop him.

"We should stop," she says as he turns to regard her.

"Why?"

"Wearing masks out there will give us away, don't you think?" she asks.

He wants to release a sigh of defeat but he keeps it inside himself. With a quick nod, he reaches to untie his mask, but she stops him.

"I have to do something before I lose my nerve," she says, as her hands bring his down to his sides.

He tilts his head in question and is about to ask her what that is when she quickly reaches for his face with both of hers and brings his face down for a kiss. To feel her lips against his, stuns him. He almost feels weak from the power of her kiss and he reaches to hold her closer to himself. An emotion that could only be described as passion takes over him as he tilts his head to fit their mouths better. He does not want to let go of her but she pulls away with her eyes closed as if to savor him and he feels awash with dismay. Dismay that she should feel such longing for someone that was not him. He can feel that tightening in his chest now that makes breathing almost hard to accomplish. The disappointment and rejection rush over him as he releases her and steps back.

"Did I disappoint you?" she asks him suddenly, not quite meeting his eye.

"What do you mean?" he asks. How could she have possibly disappointed him? It was he who had disappointed.

"I know my initial rejection hurt," she says. "It is only fair that you should reject me too."

What?

She reaches for the ties of her mask and takes it away from her face. Her green eyes are shining with tears that are on the threshold of being shed but he does not understand her meaning.

"Fulgur," she says and he stumbles another step back from her. "You may never forgive me for telling you that you were not the one for me but I need to tell you that I was wrong."

"You? Wrong?" he asks and he is not even in a state to realize that he is stuttering.

"Did you mean what you said that day?" she asks hopefully.

She knew it had been him all along? That it had been he that she had been reacting to all night. Knowing that it was he was the reason she had trust him so completely. He has never known his brain to act so sluggishly and he has to shake his head to clear his muddled and shocked thoughts.

Which was not a good idea because tears do fall from her eyes then and he realizes his mistake. She bites her lips and makes to leave.

"No," he says rushing towards her to grab her before she can flee. "I do remember. I did mean it."

She lets out a shaking breathe as relief washes over her lovely face. Her face falls forwards into his chest and she clutches his collar. "Thank you," she says. "Thank you for waiting for me."

"I would always wait for you," he whispers fervently as he holds her.

"I was being so stupid," she says looking up into his face. "I was hoping for something that was not going to come. I did not know my own mind and tried to look for the impossible where it could not have been."

"But you have found it now?"

"Yes," she says with a nod. "That night. That horrible night when we thought we had lost to Etro."

He does not think he could ever forget that night.

"Even in the face of such hopeless odds, there you were," she says. "Even when you thought I did not love you back, you stood in front of me to shield me from whatever fate that would befall us."

What he had done had been reflex, not out of his desire to make her love him back.

"It is because you had no other desire than to protect that I knew," she says as is she has read his thoughts. "I felt like such a fool for not knowing before. Will you give me another chance?"

He looks down at her as her words are finally sinking in and he cannot dare to hope that what he heard was true. That Astra should love him back. He would have been content if she had simply liked him back. Now, to hear that she loved him as he loved her...

"Yes, I will," he says quickly.

That heart stopping smile creeps across her lips and lights up her eyes and he is helpless in the face of it. He smiles back at her and he has never felt so light as he has now. This, this must be happiness.

"Will you join me for the remainder of the evening?" he asks offering her his arm.

"Of course," she breathes out. "But first, you have to take your mask off."

Yes, there was no more use for masks now. Not now, when there should no more be misconceptions between them. He finds he likes that, quite a bit. So with a few quick tugs, he is as unmasked as she and they both stare at each other unhindered with their perspectives nothing less than accurate.

* * *

End Notes: I am thinking about writing the party scene from a different POV. What does everyone think?

As for requests, **Star**, the wedding is coming and **Iris**, that is a pairing that I had not been rooting for but I will come up with something worthy. To everyone else, thank you for your reviews. Anything further will be added to my profile.


	20. Cupiditas

A/N: I thought the idea of a Hen Party was just too fun to pass up so I wrote a chapter from the same night as the previous chapter in Stella's POV. As you can tell, I'm stalling because I will be so sad when this series is finished. For some reason the formatting doesn't work right on this.. darn glitches on ffdotnet

Cupiditas is latin for "Party spirit".

_**Cupiditas**_

"I think I am going to lose my mind."

"I am surprised you have not lost it already," states Procella from somewhere behind her.

"Honestly, who knew there would be so much to a wedding!"

"You only get married once," says Astra, trying in her way, to be comforting.

"Thank goodness for that!" she cries as she holds up two forks, either of which would be part of the table settings. Both were similar in size but the handles were different. She was supposed to choose which one she liked best. She did not care which one she liked best at this point. With three days until the wedding, she was positively at her wits end with its preparations.

"Here," says Procella as she takes both forks from her hands and holds them behind her back. "Just pick a hand and that will be that."

"Great idea," she says gratefully and then points to the one on the left.

"See how simple that was?" asks Procella with a smirk.

"I am going to do that with everything else from now on."

"Though I am glad you did not find out this method before you picked the table cloth," comments Astra, almost scandalized by what they had just done.

"You like weddings, don't you Astra?" she asks curiously.

"I have been dreaming of my wedding all my life," is the dreamy response. "I already have everything planned."

She supposes that the little girl in her had too, but she did not realize then just how much trouble planning a wedding would be. Even with a castle full of servants to help her, she felt like she was going to keel over from all the stress. She knows he has not gotten a good night's sleep since their date had been announced.

"You are going to be a bridezilla. I can tell," snips Procella at Astra.

"A what?"

"Nothing," she says quickly. "I only look forward to each of your weddings. You too, Mira." She looks over at the girl sitting quietly, watching them in amusement.

"I have a long way yet," Mira answers. "I think you are going to look so beautiful, Stella."

"Thank you, luv," she says appreciatively.

"Yes, you have been glowing every since Noctis proposed," says Astra.

She cannot help the grin on her face from forming. The memory of his urgent proposal still made her stomach flutter.

"What is next on the agenda?" she asks.

"What is happening with your dress, Stella?" asks Astra.

She can feel the anxiety start to rise again as she thinks about the status of her dress.

"Uhoh," says Mira looking at the look on her face. "I can already tell it's bad."

"It is in pieces," she tries to say as calmly as she can. "During my last fitting, they had only just put together my skirts."

"Pieces? How many pieces?" asks Astra.

"Too many to count," she says putting her hand against her forehead. "I almost burst into tears when I saw the state it was in. My skirts are nothing more than petticoats."

"One month is too short a time to arrange something as grand as a wedding," states Procella in her most assuring voice.

"Yes, it would have been nice to have longer than a month to plan," agrees Stella. "We did not want to wait."

"You mean, Noctis did not want to wait until something else can stop you two from getting married," adds Procella for her.

"I feel the urgency too," she defends. She did, but she might have delayed the wedding just a little longer had she known just how great an endeavor it was to plan a wedding of this magnitude. She is sure that she has never seen so many dignitaries as she had seen on their guest list. The poor servants had been running around all over the city the past week trying to get everything just right. That was another thing to put on her list. She needed to figure out a way to reward all the servants for the hard work they had been doing to prepare.

"Let us look at the dress," offers Astra. "I am sure it is not all bad."

"I do not have it," she says. "They are missing the lace that was to make up the shell of the skirts."

"Missing?" asks Procella.

"Well, more like the shipment containing the lace was water damaged as it sailed over," she explains. "The lace was nearly orange when it arrived."

"Oh my..." says Astra. "What is the alternative?"

"The second shipment is to arrive tonight and hopefully I will have a dress to wear down the aisle."

"You must have an alternative if anything should happen," advises Procella. "Tomorrow we shall all venture to the finest merchants to see what we can work together just in case."

"Or did you have your heart set on the dress that is being made now?" asks Astra.

"No," she says shaking her head. "Nothing like that. It is just that I had wanted a style that mixed the cultures of Tenebrae and Nihilsomno with my dress."

"Very charming," says Procella but she cannot tell whether it is a compliment or not. "Then your alternative will be a dress fashioned in the Nihilsomno custom. It would be better safe than sorry."

"I agree," she says as looks around and ignores the disarray of her rooms. "I think that is a good idea."

"I have it," says Astra helpfully as she opens a planner that Noctis had made especially for her.

She does not help the smile that crosses her lips as she thinks about why he had given it to her.

"What do I have to do in the morning?" she asks as Astra looks at her schedule.

"Gifts," announces Procella as she reads over Astra's shoulder.

"Gifts?"

"All the visiting dignitaries have gifts that they have sent ahead in honor of the occasion," says Astra. "You have not opened any of them."

"How many are there?" she asks, as she feels too overwhelmed to be happy about the prospect of gifts.

"Maybe we should save them for later?" suggests Procella as she reads the look on her face. "Your dress is priority right now."

"Oh but you must open ours tonight," says Astra with an excited smile.

"Tonight?" she asks as she gives them all a questioning look.

"You did not think we would not give you a Hen party, did you?" asks Procella with a smirk.

A grateful smile crosses her face as she looks at her friends.

"Come," says Astra. "We decorated one of the rooms for this."

"Won't Noctis notice that you are missing?" asks Mira.

"I overheard Des saying that they were having his Stag party today," says Procella.

"It was today?" she asks. Yes, Noctis had mentioned they would be having a party for him, but he had not said when. She feels like giggling at the thought. She hopes they do not get into too much trouble tonight.

"What were they planning?" asks Astra.

"A paintball fight," answers Procella with a disapproving look on his face. "Boys and their incessant need to get dirty."

Her disapproval makes Stella laugh.

"It is good that they are gone in any case because after we give you our gifts, we are going out," says Procella.

"Where?" asks Astra.

"There is an underground party happening tonight."

"Really?" asks Mira.

"Are you sure Mira...?" asks Stella.

"Don't worry about me, Stella," reassures Mira. "I will stay at home. Something tells me that it would be best if I remained in the castle."

"You would not feel left out?" asks Stella to be sure.

"Of course," Mira answers with a smile. "I do not want you to worry about me while you are having fun."

"I doubt I shall be so distracted not to have you," says Stella.

"I'm too young to go to such a party, anyway," replies Mira. "Do not worry about me. My feelings are not hurt."

"Come, come," says Procella as she makes a sweeping motion with her hand to shoo them out of the rooms. "The sooner we get the first part done, the sooner we can get to the party."

They all followed Procella as they made their way into one of the many sitting rooms within the castle. As they walk, they pass by a few servants, who all bow to her in obeisance as if she were already their queen. She wonders what they must think of her now. So many things had changed within the last year and now they were going to have a Queen from Tenebrae reigning with their king. She is sure that she was not what they had envisioned for their future queen. Of course, popular opinion was now on her side after the events of last month. The majority of the city had witnessed their battle against Etro and the people had been alight with joy at their triumph. Still, prejudices were deep rooted and she felt she still needed to keep on her guard and continue to prove herself worthy of her position. Her position by Noctis' side.

It was in the room that she had appointed as her morning room that they had set up their little party. The décor was cute and bright. Lots of pastel yellows, pinks and greens gave the room a very cheerful feel. Off to the side was a small table with tiered plates containing small sweets and candies of matching colors. A charming tea set was placed with water on a burner, all ready for them to enjoy together. Then, on a small table, beside the largest comfy chair were their gifts. Each colorfully wrapped and ready for her to open.

"This is so lovely," she comments as she smiles gratefully at the other three.

"Come," says Procella stiffly. "It is time for you to unwind a bit and sit down."

That sounded like a lovely idea. The only thing getting her through these chaotic days was the thought of spending the rest of her life with Noctis. Noctis who had tried to be there for her whenever he could. It was just that there were certain things that men would not understand and could not be a part of. It just made her feel so much better when she saw him. His strong and calming presence gave her strength to keep going. Even the confused look on his face, whenever she asked him his opinion on the details was enough to get her out of a dark mood. His face expressed her own feelings and it was nice to know that someone was feeling the same way she was. It never failed to make her smile.

Once when she had been particularly stressed to her limit, he had found her on the verge of tears. She had, had a list of things that she absolutely had to get done before the end of that day. It had been too long for her to accomplish to begin with and then it had torn in half in her haste to get ready that morning. The bottom portion, of course, floated into her fireplace and she had not been quick enough to save it from enveloping in flames. He must have sensed her distress because he was suddenly there and holding her. Then he had sat with his weeping fiance as she ranted about everything that was going wrong. He had not said anything but held her close and ran his hand lovingly through her hair. There was really nothing he could say and she was so thankful that he was wise enough to know that.

Later that very morning, she was brought a charmingly wrapped package delivered post haste, from a messenger. Inside was a planner with a laminated cover with thick finely woven pages and pockets to keep any little notes that she may gather. Written within the pages were little things that had been on her original list. Not all of them, but a few. She had burst into tears again, but this time of a better nature and had wanted to run around the castle in search for him. The only thing that stopped her was that he was not in the castle at all, but out in the city to observe a few constructions sites that he had, had to oversee himself. Which was probably how he had, had some time to look for something like this for her in the first place. So she had clutched the book closely to her chest and sent an air kiss through their connection and felt his warmth in return. The rest of that day had not passed by quickly enough for her.

She had surprised him later that evening when he had come to escort her to dinner. As was his way, he had knocked politely and when he had finally entered she had flown into his arms without any warning and littered his face with kisses to express her appreciation of his thoughtful gift. Being the quick mind that he was, it had not taken him very long to take control of their kiss and leave her quite breathless in return. Sometimes she thinks she could kiss him forever and still never tire of it. Well, she was going to have a lifetime full of kissing him and she keeps that in mind as she endures the stresses of their upcoming nuptials.

"Which one do you want to open first?" asks Mira eagerly as they all sip their cups of tea together.

"Wait! I have to get my camera," says Astra as she rushes over to a corner to get it.

She looks at the table of gifts and simply picks the one on the top of the pile.

"That is from me," says Mira happily.

Stella smiles at her warmly before slowly taking off the wrapper. She opens the lid to find various bath salts of different scents and smiles again at Mira in gratitude.

"These will be very useful. Thank you Mira," she says, opening her arms to give her a hug.

Astra snapped away with her camera as Stella moved to open another gift from the pile.

"How many did each of you get me?" she asks curiously.

"We had a little bit of fun," says Astra as she exchanges a look with Procella.

"Really?" asks Stella with a raised eyebrow. She smiles as she opens the next box of Fushia colored wrapping paper. Lifting the lid, she carefully opens up the tissue paper to reveal red. Her lips form a small "O" as she lifts it up to the light. "This is so beautiful!"

It was a red teddy of satin and lace. The bodice clung but the wispy material flared out a little at the hem as it reached mid-thigh. It felt so light and delicate in her hands.

"Tell Noctis to be careful when he takes it off," comments Procella with a smirk.

Which makes Stella and Astra blush as scarlet as the teddy.

"Why does he have to be careful?" asks Mira curiously.

"Oh, my..." says Astra as she looks up at the ceiling.

"Well, you know how boys do not take care of their clothes," explains Stella lamely.

"Oh, right," says Mira as she nods. "Vitrum is always getting holes in his pants. Just tell Noctis not to touch your clothes when you're married."

Stella forces a smile on her lips as she returns the innocent smile of the younger Mira.

"Next gift?" asks Astra as she holds up another box.

She smiles at her friend before gratefully grasping onto the next box to open. What follows is another teddy, but this one black with a little bit of bead work to make it look like crystals along the cups and bodice. There was also a very soft, pale pink chemise that came with the cutest ruffled knickers that she has ever seen. Her favorite was a pale blue, satin gown that reached the floor. It was backless with a draping effect just on her lower back. The front was also a drape neck with strings for straps. It almost made her feel like she would be wearing water, since it flowed so gracefully down her body. They had all decided that it should be the one she would wear on her wedding night. That night in question gave her shivers of anticipation, even as she could feel slight apprehension.

"Stella, you could have warts all over and I doubt Noctis would mind," says Procella, in a tone that does not sound as reassuring as her words sound.

"I agree, Stella," says Astra.

"Maybe my breasts are too small?" she says. "I do have a few moles on my body."

"He is not going to care either way," says Procella.

"Moles are beauty marks anyway," says Mira.

"Noctis thinks you are the most beautiful woman in the world," reassures Astra. "You won't disappoint him."

"I, I just..." she says hesitantly. Blasted female insecurities.

"Noctis loves you inside and out," adds Mira with a confident smile.

"If it makes you feel better, you could imagine that he had a small deficiency," says Procella with a pointed look and a smirk.

"Please do not even say it!" cries Stella as she blushes again.

"As if you have not wondered already!" laughs Procella.

Astra looks confused for a moment before her own eyes widen and she holds her hand against her mouth. "Procella!"

"You mean if Noctis has any moles on his body?" asks Mira innocently.

The three older women stare down into her unassuming face and nod unanimously. Two look like they are doing their best not to look directly at her while Procella looks thoroughly amused with the little joke. It looks like she wants to make another comment when they hear the grandfather clock begin to chime.

"What time is it?" she asks.

"It is just after eight," says Procella. "We must start getting ready."

"What sort of party are we going to?" asks Astra.

"It is a masquerade ball," answers Procella.  
"Really?" she asks intrigued.

"That sounds exciting," gushes Astra and she cannot help but to agree with her. The prospect of dressing up and pretending to be someone else for a night seemed very appealing right about now.

"I think I need something like this," she confesses.

"Would Noctis mind, you think?" asks Astra.

"He has his Stag Party. She can have her Hen Party," says Procella before she can speak.

"I just need a night of not worrying about wedding plans," says Stella. "A night away from the castle."

"We have all been cooped up within these walls for far too long," agrees Procella. "You need a night of fun before you can come back to the madness."

"I do not think I have a mask," says Astra.

"I have that arranged," says Procella with a sly grin on her face. She moves over to a spot just behind the table cloth and reveals a small bag. Opening it, she places a carefully wrapped package in each of their hands. She even has one for Mira. "Even though you cannot come, I had one made for you anyway."

"Thank you, Procella," squeals Mira excitedly as she opens her package. The mask is jeweled with a mixture of red and gold crystal beads and on each side a purple feather accented the look. "This is amazing!" Carefully she held it up to the light to admire the deepness of the red before giving Procella a questioning look.

"Come," answers Procella knowingly as she reached for the ties and expertly tied them to the back of Mira's head. "There now." They all stopped to admire how it suited her before Procella looked at them expectantly and they opened theirs as well.

Astra's was a shade darker than her eyes and her decorative feathers were from a peacock, which gave her a very exotic look. Procella's was not white, as was her typical color of choice. Instead it was a shimmering gold with one blue gem attached at the bottom of her right eye. It did not have any feathers. Stella's was white, with small speckles of blush within the coloring. The outer rims of the mask were lined with white sequins and the rest was filled in with brilliant, white crystal beads. Each side had a white, long flowing feather to adorn it. Each mask was all different in its own way and seemed made to match them individually.

"These are magnificent, Procella," she says as she holds hers against her face in the mirror. She could not wait to go outside with it on. "Thank you."

"Yes, this is was very extravegent, Procella," says Astra.

"Thank you!" cries Mira as she gives the taller woman a hug.

Procella responds with an affectionate pat on the young girl's shoulder in response. She looks pleased with each of their responses.

"What outfits should we don?" asks Astra excitedly.

They all look eagerly at the other at the prospect. What better way to make a girl feel better than to dress up and have a night with just her fellow women? As much as she loves Noctis, she needs a night like this. It was not about the dance itself, but the preparation together that was the fun part. So they all dashed off to their rooms before bringing arm loads of various pieces to Procella's, where they all laid out their choices together. There they had decided that they would exchange garments to give them the change needed for such an event. Since they were not to go as themselves, what else would be more appropriate than to wear something they would not normally wear?

Procella was very slim and slender. Astra was very curvaceous with a generous bust. Stella was a little in between. So it was interesting to try on one another's clothing to see just how different their body shapes here in comparison to the other. They giggled. Well, Procella smirked, as they decided which outfits would suit each. Once that had been all sorted, they talked of the art of rouge. Stella hardly wore make up. Some blush, some lip gloss, powder and maybe some mascara. She usually relied upon her ladies in waiting for the particulars of that. Procella mostly stuck to frosty colors around her eyes while Astra was definitely the most daring when it came to the use of color.

For Procella, they had decided to give her very dramatic, smokey tones to enhance the color of her eyes. She protested at first but seemed more than satisfied once she saw the result. Her icy, almost white blue eyes absolutely shined against the sultry tones of the darker shades of the shadow. With the effect of her golden mask, her eyes struck out at you through the holes. They also darkened her pale brows to more of a neutral caramel to help with the transformation.

Astra gave herself fuller lips and rosier cheeks. Her eyes were given a light dusting of a metallic shadow that was red in one light and gold in another. Carefully and with a steady, practiced hand she drew a thin line across the very tips of her lids and curved it slightly towards the end to make her eyes look more oval than their usual round. It was a marvel how with one precise stroke of a thin brush, you could change the way your eye was shaped. As Astra applied red lipstick to match the color of her hair, Procella decided to tame her mane of lovely curls. With an expertly executed twist of her wrist, she had softly curled the edge of the longest bang near Astra's face so that it would hang dramatically over her mask covered left eye.

"Come on, Stella," orders Procella as she indicates the bench before the vanity mirror.

She smiles as she sits down to prepare for her turn. Astra hovers in front of her with her head tilted to the side. Her lips are twisted in concentration as she thinks of what would suit her best.

"Hair up or down?" asks Procella.

"Down," she replies. She does not mention that Noctis prefers her hair that way but it does not matter because she prefers her hair down too.

"Not entirely straight but only enough curl to volumize," Procella decides as she brings out a large curling iron and gets to work.

"Close your eyes, Stella," instructs Astra as she turns her chin up to better see her face. "Nothing too drastic," she promises her as she closes her eyes.

She feels the small, gentle slide of something liquid across the tips of each of her eyelids and a firmer stroke of a puffy brush just above that. There are gentle tugs on her hair as Procella proceeds to give her rather limp hair some volume from behind. She feels a pencil as it carefully sketches each of her eyebrows before there is another brush across her eyelids. It is a wider, yet thinner brush as it tickles slightly as it applies the shadow. The rest of her face is padded with a sponge and then lightly dusted off. The small particles of the blush tickle the tops of her cheeks.

"Okay, you can open them now," says Astra but she is standing in the way of her reflection. "Look up."

She obeys Astra's instructions and looks to the ceiling as mascara is carefully applied to her lashes. A few quick swipes with a tissue to remove any excess powder and Procella makes a sound of approval.

"Very nice," comments Procella somewhere behind her.

"I think you should wear this clear gloss, Stella," says Astra as she twists the cap off the plastic container. She dips the applicator into the gloss a few times before drawing her lips. "It is mostly clear, but it gives off a glitter like shine."

After she is finished painting her lips, she steps back to observe her work. "There, I think you are done."

Astra moves quickly out of the way and she can see herself for the first time.

"Oh my..." she says as she leans in closer to the mirror to see the colors of her make up. Her eye shadow started with a very fine line of dark brown and then blended together with a blue tinted frost that made her eyes sparkle like stars. The same sparkle effect was evident in her cheeks and on her lips, but the focal points were her eyes and her lips. Procella had also indeed given her hair more volume.

"You look very pretty, Stella," says Mira in admiration. "Too bad Noctis won't see you like this."

"Yes," she says a little sadly. She did wish she were getting all dressed up to impress him.

"No time for boys," orders Procella. "The hour is growing late and we need to be there before a certain time."

"How long does the party last?" asks Astra.

"It has no designated end time but we need to hurry," says Procella vaguely.

So after rather hasty and brief good byes to Mira, they all rushed into the car that Noctis had given her for her use around the city. It was fully armored, sporty and white with two doors and she loved going driving in it. Tonight though, it would be Procella behind the wheel because she knew exactly where they were going. She sat in the passenger side while Astra sat in the back. The drive over was filled with their chatter about everything not pertaining to the wedding, lest her anxiety return. They talked about boys and they talked about the bits of gossip that they had overheard from the castle servants and laughed. Normal things that they had not had a chance to speak of before. It made her almost feel like a normal girl.

"We are here," pronounces Procella as she looks for a place to park.

"How do you know these things?" asks Astra as she leans forward to the front.

"This is a quiet part of town," comments Stella as she surveys the area around them. Nihilsomno was a city that was always pulsating with life no matter the time of day or night. Especially after Noctis' coronation. The city which died with fear within the darkness of the night seemed to thrive within it now. You would not guess this in the portion of the city they were currently in. As quiet as it seemed, she notices that there is no place to park and it was not a residential sort of neighborhood. Yes, they were definitely in the right place.

"The party is underground," states Procella as she parks the car carefully.

"Wait," she says as it hits her. "This is that infamous underground party that is always in different places around the city?"

"You have heard of it too," says Procella impressed.

"I have always been curious about it," she confesses. "They say it is difficult to get the location. How did you find out where it was tonight?"

"A few well asked questions," explains Procella vaguely, as she turns off the engine and looks at herself in the mirror. "Better get your masks on."

They all check themselves once more before helping each other tie the ties behind their heads and all get out of the car to the sidewalk. They walk a few blocks away in the dark until Procella comes to a confident stop. She stops to look at Stella.

"I figured it was worth it to find out about an experience that I am sure Noctis will not let you have very often after you are married," she says with a knowing smile.

"True," agrees Astra as they both look at Stella.

"I doubt he will let you out of his sight for months after the wedding," says Procella.

She smiles at that. Having him always in her sights did not seem like a bad idea at all. If only she could have Noctis all to herself all the time, but she knows that she must always share him with his responsibilities. It was a price to pay for loving the most powerful man on the planet.

Procella stomps her foot down on the pavement three times and before they can question her further, the elevator shaft opens up to the street level. They gingerly step atop the platform and as the elevator descends into the darkness they look at each other in anticipation and giggle. It was like an unveiling when the floor opens up to reveal the dance floor below. Lights flash here and there. A spotlight randomly roamed the occupants as the DJ scratched the latest tunes through the loud speakers set up on every corner of the ceiling. Along the outer walls, plush looking couches of various colors were strategically placed, complete with a table and ottomans. There was a special section roped off for the VIPs who had obviously not shown up yet. Every now and then, the air was littered with floating bulbs that seemed to hover just above the heads of the dancing crowds. The bar was a little longer than most and was lined with neon colored stools. It revolved in a full circle for maximum coverage. Behind the various lines of liqueur bottles were mirrors that looked like delicately carved picture frames. The place looked like a mix of modern and vintage. It reminded her of Noctis.

"Come, we must not let this party go to waste just gawking," advises Procella before she floats through the sea of people and they immediately lose sight of her.

"This is so exciting!" cries Astra as they both try to follow where the taller Procella disappeared. She can see how wide her friends eyes are as they take in all the sights around them.

"You look like this is your first time at a club," she says.

"It is!" Astra replies over the noise.

She knows she is gawking at her as she stops to stare at her friend.

"Unbelievable," she exclaims. "This is really your first time out like this?"

Astra nods behind her mask to reassure her. The open awe on her face was evidence enough of her innocence to these sights.

"Well then," she says as she reaches over to the passing waiter and grabs two shots of glowing drinks. "You will need this!" She hands a shot to Astra and they both throw their heads back to let the liquid pour down their throats.

Astra winces from the burn but she savors the feeling as the alcohol seems to soothe away the rest of her stress. She takes Astra's hand and leads her onto the dance floor. Then slowly, she starts to move her body to the rhythm of the music and soon they are among the dancing throngs. With swaying hips and swirling arms, they lose themselves against the beat of the songs. Masked men join them but it was just as well that they were faceless. It did not matter who they were as the music made them move. If one got too close she would move away. If only got a little too aggressive, she made sure they were warned sufficiently not to do it again when she danced away.

Astra had grown confident as the night wore on and had left her to herself within the waves of dancing figures and she feels glad for that. The green eyed beauty needed to find her courage. Lately, her friend had been depressed in her own way. After the last battle with Etro, Astra had, had a severe change of heart in regards to the stern, Fulgur. They had, had long talks on the subject where Astra had tearfully confessed her regret over rejecting him so before. She was glad for that too and though Noctis did not seem to understand entirely, he had been glad for it too. It was just a matter of Astra getting up the nerve to tell Fulgur of her feelings. Maybe after tonight, her shy friend would be able to face the man that she finally realized that she loved.

A couple more shots and more dancing and she had not felt this carefree in a very long time. Somehow it reminded her of Noctis and how being with him made her feel as if everything was going to all right. That even during these immensely stressful days, just the sight of him was enough to make her breathe a sigh of relief. Being within his embrace was enough to make her feel as if nothing could touch her. Nothing would ever touch her again so long as he was with her. As she stares at the sea of masked faces around her, she thinks that whether literal or figurative, she has always been able to see him as he was always able to see simply her. Now, there would never be just him nor just her, but them and it was so fulfilling just to think about it. How she missed him then. How she just wanted him close, forever. How she wished that he could fly to her right then.

_Stella._

The song blends into the start of another and her movements are not as exuberant as they had been a moment ago. Everything seems to have stopped for her at the sound of that voice in her head.

He is here.

Her name in a sigh of his voice that had her closing her eyes to savor it. She lowers her face as she feels his presence a few feet behind her. Turning her face she can see him in profile as he can see hers and she can feel the energy like it is a living thing around them. Even with all the enthusiastic dancing around her, all she feels is as if the entire room were moving in slow motion as she slowly turns around to look at him. He is wearing a mask of his own but it does nothing to hide him from her because she would know him anywhere. Though they do not seem to notice them, the people between him and herself all part for him as he makes slow, deliberate steps towards her.

His eyes do not stray from hers as he makes his approach. The red within them is already glowing as when he was unleashing his invincible power. Only now, he was unleashing a different kind of power. This man, her man, who was so abundant in self control and repression was not hiding his passion as it shined through his deep eyes. The effect had her heart racing so loud, it felt as if it was its beat that provided the quick tempo of the music around them. She could not nothing else but to will him closer still. Closer because close just was not close enough.

He is mere inches from her when he stops and their chests are almost touching. She wonders just how, even within such a breathtaking moment such as this where her heart felt ready to bounce right out of her chest in anticipation, he could still look so completely in control. An ungloved hand reaches up and touches the side of her face and gently glides along the edges of her mask. She responds by reaching one hand for the back of his neck and her other on his shoulder as she closes the remaining distance between them. A sigh escapes from deep within her and she feels that comforting sense of completion now that he was here and she in his arms. There is the press of his lips against her forehead before his hands travel to her hips. Gently, he leads her back into the rhythm of the music and they both begin to sway together.

As she looks up into his face, she marvels at how the intensity of his gaze could never be covered from her view. Not when she could feel it like an actual caress upon her skin. He could hide or cover or change but she would always know him. She knew that it was the same for him. He would always find her, no matter what and no matter how. How was it even possible to feel this way about another person? She gives him a secret smile and makes sure that his hands remain on her as she turns expertly to lean back against his chest without going against the beat. His arms remain locked possessively around her as they dance and he leans forward to bring his lips close to her neck so she can feel the warmth of his breathe against her skin. Their movements are quick and in harmony as he deeps her pressed against him. He raises her hand to touch his cheek before he spins her around to face him again. Their noses brush when he pulls her close to him again to press their chests together as the song ends.

Her breathe comes out in a soft laugh as she raises her face to brush her lips against his and he lays his forehead against hers as he releases his.

"Should we sit?" he asks her and she nods a yes.

She can see the smirk on his lips as he entwines their fingers together. Raising their joined hands he places a lingering kiss upon hers. Keeping her close at his side, he makes his way through the crowd and to the roped off VIP section.

"Stell?" she hears just before Des comes into view. She does not stop the laugh that bubbles forth from her mouth as she takes in the sight of him. He is perched precariously on top of one of the couches with his legs on an unbalanced ottoman. It looks like he fell there and had not even bothered to right himself. There looks to be remnants of paint still sticking to a few spots on his blond head but he makes sure to keep his drink firmly in hand. It looks about the only thing he has a firm grip on.

"Where is Vitrum?" asks Noctis.

"In the loo," reassures Vires. "Sapien took him."

"You told her, didn't you Noct?" accuses Des with his own version of a glare. Well it would have been a glare if he had really been upset. He looks more like he is pouting.

"No, I did not," defends Noctis as he offers her a seat before sliding into the spot beside her.

"This is part of your Stag Party?" she asks as she looks at Noctis.

He nods.

"You didn't know?" asks Vires in surprise.

"HA!" cries Des as he smacks his knee. He manages to lift himself up to attention. "You're on your Hen Party aren't you?"

"Yes, I am," she answers.

"Vires!" he cries out in a loud laugh as he turns to Vires. "It's a Hag party!"

She turns to look at Noctis in question.

"Hen and Stag put together." he answers with a grin and a shake of his head.

"Knew it wouldn't just be all guys," admits Des. It looks like he wanted to wink at her but blinks both eyes instead.

"Told you so," answers Vires with a roll of his eyes.

"That means Snow and Red are here too," says Des as he elbows Vires with a knowing look.

"What would you like to drink, Stella?" asks Noctis.

"A Sangria please," she answers because more shots right now did not seem quite right. "Where are the rest of the boys?" she asks as Noctis orders her drink for her.

"Around here somewhere," says Vires.

"Sol left us high and dry," laughs Des. "Sounds familiar...."

"I saw Fulgur dancing with Astra as we made our way over here," answers Noctis.

"Reeeally?" asks Des with an eyebrow raised.

"That is good news," she says as she smiles in relief.

"Looks like we don't have to worry about those two getting home," says Des cheekily. "Sapien!"

Des waves his arm enthusiastically as she turns around to see Sapien and Vitrum make their way back to the VIP section.

"What's gotten you so excited?" asks Sapien as he turns to nod at her in greeting. "Stella."

"Sapien."

"Stella!" cries Vitrum in surprise.

She smiles at him in response, but makes a mental note to tell Noctis that maybe having Vitrum with a sloshed Des was probably not a good idea.

"Fulgur is dancing with Red," Des tells Sapien and he reminds her of those older women servants who loved to gossip while during their rounds.

"Should I get so excited when you dance with someone?" asks Sapien, but she can tell that he is only giving Des a hard time. Des stumbles in his inebriated state, for a reply as Sapien turns towards her. "Fancy us all in the same place like this."

She suppresses the urge to snuggle in closer to Noctis' side to show how grateful she is that it was so. He seems to know this because she feels his thumb lightly stroke her arm.

"How did you find out about this place anyway, Stell?" asks Des curiously as the waiter comes by to give her, her drink.

She notices Noctis is not drinking anything but water.

"Procella actually found out about it," she explains before she inhales the aroma of the sweet beverage and takes a sip.

"Sneaky Snowflake!" laughs Des as he takes a swig of what looks to be brandy.

She tries not to snort a laugh at the new nickname as she takes a larger sip from her glass. Her tongue savors the flavors of orange and fermented grapes with something else by swirling the liquid around in her mouth slowly before she swallows it. Some drinks were just meant to be consumed slowly. It did not seem to be too strong either, but just enough to make her feel warm.

"Resourceful," comments Sapien as he looks at Noctis. "We have to up the secrecy."

"There he is," says Des with a pointed finger, before she can question what Sapien meant. Instead she looks to where Des is pointing. "Oh hey! Is that Snowflake?"

Perhaps the Sangria was stronger than she had thought because the scene before her did not seem to be real.

"No way," says Noctis as he sees it too.

"I'm not sure whether to laugh or be impressed," states Vires.

"Awesome," says Vitrum.

Within the depths of the crowd, they could make out Sol's familiar golden head dancing very fluidly to the rhythm. Though she had danced with Sol many times before, she had never danced with him in this particular manner and a part of her was envious of the fact that he moved his hips so well. His dancing was surprise enough but it was the manner in which he was dancing that had everybody unable to grip what they felt. It was because of Procella. Sol was competing in a dance off against Procella. The Ice Queen was battling The Sun on the dance floor.

"Fire and ice," comments Sapien as he leaned back on the couch.

"I might have a new ship," comments Des as his eyes seemed riveted on the pair.

She wants to laugh at the comment but she is not sure what she thinks. It just seems too ridiculous and unthinkable to contemplate. She agrees with Vires. She does not know whether to laugh or be impressed. Her face must have been easily mistaken because when she turns to look at Noctis, she finds that he is studying her face very intently.

"Stop that," she whispers as she leans in close so only he can hear her.

"What?" he asks, feigning ignorance.

"Trying to see if I have any lingering feelings towards him," she answers.

"I would not be as inconstant," he says in defense.

"Which is good because I love _you_," she presses as she leans in to kiss his lips softly.

"Forgive me," he says as he puts both arms around her. She can see that familiar inner berating he is doing inside that complicated brain of his.

"I would not be willing to suffer this wedding for Sol," she confesses as she traces along his collar. "Only for you."

"I know," he says as he presses his forehead against hers and breathes in her own exhalations. "I do."

It seemed very strange to her that it would be he that was the more jealous than her. She knows he cannot help himself and there is a large part of her that delights in knowing that he can be jealous. It just surprised her that he was so unsure of himself in that way. In battle he was confident in his abilities but when in their relationship, it seemed as if he felt like he was the one that was deficient in some way. It seemed out of place to the cocky and self assured person that he had been when they had first met. Noctis was so many fascinating layers that she knew she would have a very interesting life ahead of her. It filled her with eager anticipation. She knows she would have not have been happy marrying someone transparent and shallow. The complex man holding her in his arms was just right for her.

"The only thing getting me through this whole ordeal is that in the end, there will only be you and me together through the rest of our days and nights," she says as her hand touches the tips of his spiky hair.

"You are the only one that will ever get me to stand on the end of that aisle," he tells her and they both lean closer to kiss.

"Ha! I didn't know Snowflake could move like that," comments Des, breaking their moment.

"Would you like to dance again?" asks Noctis.

"Yes," she says with a nod as he stands up and offers his hand down to her.

"Aren't you guys going to watch?" asks Des.

"No," she says as she pats Des on the top of his head as they leave the lounge.

Noctis keeps her closely beside him as they make their way through the crowds to return to the dance floor. There is enough room to twirl her around before there is the sudden sounds of sirens. She looks up at him in confusion for a moment before it registers to her what is going on. Was there really a police raid going on now?

"I have to get you out of here," says Noctis.

"No, the boys," she says as looks up at him.

He nods and teleports back to where they had left their friends.

"Coppers!" laughs Des. "I feel like when we were kids."

"Come on, Des," says Noctis as he holds up his inebriated friend.

"What about everyone else?" asks Stella quickly. "They should not be arrested."

"We have that covered," says Sapien, as he takes out his handheld and punches in a few buttons.

The entire area goes dark as the power completely shuts off for a minute before blue lights shoot off from the floor and all the exits, which had been previously hidden, began to glow. The crowds seemed to know what was going on because they all scrambled for the nearest ones to make it out free.

"All the exits they have covered are not really exits," explain Sapiens with a shrug as he punches more commands into his handheld.

"Ready?" asks Noctis.

"Ready," answers Sapien.

"Does that mean the party is over?" complains Des, the moment before Noctis teleports all of them outside.

They appeared again on the sidewalk across the street and immediately start walking away as they take off their masks. Noctis stops to stare at her face a moment before smiling and keeping them in pace with the others.

"You look positively striking tonight," he says as he squeezes her hand.

"I think I am feeling my hangover now," says Des as he leans forward with a groan.

"Lightweight," comments Vires as he swings Des' arm around his shoulder to keep him propped up and keeps them moving.

"The cars are on their way," says Sapien as he reads something off his handheld.

"Almost arrested!" they hear shouted from half a block away to see Tonitrus and Militis holding each other up as they stumble towards them.

"What headlines we would have made!" laughs Tonitrus with a boom.

"Maybe we should go back and see what happens?" roars Militis as he raps Tonitrus on the shoulder.

They were absolutely hammered. Both come to a stop in their strides as they take in the sight of her and Militis gives Noctis a look.

"Stella would most likely not appreciate your pawing other women during your Stag Party," comments Militis.

"That _is_ Stella, you big oaf!" yells Tonitrus with a vibrating laugh.

"Oh? Well, there are two of them. How was I supposed to know she was the other one?"

She had to hold her hand against her mouth to keep from giggling at the picture they made.

"I should have been hanging out with you guys!" cries Des.

"Who won the drinking match?" asks Noctis with a smirk.

"I did of course!" they both shout at the same time.

Their caravan of cars swing around the corner and come to a stop in front of them.

"But the night is still young!" protests Des.

"It's old enough," says Sapien as he ushers him with Vires and Vitrum into one of the cars.

Tonitrus and Militis help each other as they stumble into another car. Sapien shuts the door with a thud and taps on the hood to signal the driver to leave.

"This has been a very interesting evening," states Noctis and she nods to agree with him as Sapien stands on the other side of Noctis. He opens his mouth again but closes it when he sees Procella making her way towards them. Well, it looks more like gliding because there is never a time she simply walked. She has already taken her mask off to be replaced with a very unreadable expression on her face.

"I suppose it was impossible to keep the two lovers apart," Procella states as she looks at her and Noctis with their hands clasped.

"How was your dance off?" asks Sapien with a smirk. "Des is going to be upset that he missed you."

"You saw that did you?" asks Procella with an uncharacteristic blush creeping onto her face.

She wonders if maybe it was a common gift in all Nihil men to make any woman blush when they said something to them like that. Noctis got the same reaction from Procella. She thinks even Des could have the power if he were not so goofy all the time.

"You dance so fluidly, Procella," she says sincerely.

"Yes, well it was on impulse and I am going to blame the alcohol," the normally icy woman replies.

"Why against Sol of all people?" asks Noctis and there is a certain look that he is giving her friend that makes her blush deepen. It looks as if he knows something that she does not. What else was the gossiping Des telling Noctis?

"Some people need to be brought down a notch," sniffs Procella as she turns to her. "I came quickly thinking to meet you at the car but I see I did not have to worry about you making it back home." She gives another pointed look at Noctis.

"We have to make sure Des and Vires stay at home," says Noctis as he trades a knowing look with Sapien, but she feels his reluctance to part with her as he squeezes her hand. "Perhaps we can all go together?"

She smirks because she is sure that Des would try to make another stop before heading home.

"Des will be more willing to behave if Procella is there," says Sapien.

"Fat chance of that," comments Procella but she does not look too averse to the idea.

"Did you see where Sol went?" Sapien asks her.

"I did not stop to see," she answers with her usual sniff.

"Guess I'll tell a driver to keep on the look out," says Sapien as he types in a few things into his handheld.

"How did you get here?" Noctis asks her.

"My car," she answers. "Procella drove."

"Mind if I drive back?" asks Sapien.

"I do not know which way it is to Des and Vires' home," Procella answers with a shrug which seemed more graceful than a shrug.

But what she says makes her think too. She has never been to their house either. Not that she has ever wondered, she has just never been. Now she finds she's curious to see how they lived.

"Where did you park?" asks Sapien.

She and Noctis share the backseat while Procella sits in the passenger seat with Sapien in the front. They have the moonroof open to the night sky and she huddles closer to Noctis as they stare above together. The radio is on and she finds herself humming softly to the music.

"What are the chances of them actually being at home?" she asks him.

"Slim to none," he replies and she can hear the smirk in his voice.

"Does that mean that we are going to spend the rest of our Hag Party searching the city for them?" she asks teasingly.

"It could be fun," he answers her with that smirk that she loves so much.

"I think it will definitely be fun," she agrees.

"Let the chase begin," says Sapien from the front.

"This is going to be more fun than the party," comments Procella and she can hear the amusement in her voice.

She feels Noctis lean into her so his lips are just beside her ear.

"Was dancing the only thing you did for your Hen Party?" he whispers in her ear.

She feels the delicious shiver at his tone of voice and the way his breath tickles the skin of her ear, but she does not let on as she turns her face to smile at him.

"No," she answers innocently in a low voice. "The girls were kind enough to give me presents beforehand."

"Oh? What kind?"

She leans in. "Do you remember how much you liked me in black?"

He nods very slowly as she moves her lips close to his ear.

"Then you are going to love what they picked for me in red," she whispers in his ear before leaning back and looking out the window.

"You are going to be the death of me, Bright Star," he groans.

A rush of pure feminine pride races through her when she hears him and she laughs as they drive through the busy nightlife of Nihilsomno in search of Des, Vires and Vitrum.

* * *

End Note: I keep thinking that I am updating too slowly. Hopefully, the long lengths of the chapters make the waiting worth it. I seriously felt like it had been ages since Stella and Noctis had a moment together so I tried to go into as much detail as I could when they finally do see each other in this, but it may have just been that its been so long since I have written them together.


	21. Festino

A/N: This is just pure cracky/fluffy goodness. Words cannot even begin to describe how much fun this one was to write. It contrasts so completely with Adventum (which I hope everyone gets a chance to check out too).

Festino is latin for "hurry, to hasten".

_**Festino**_

Patience was a virtue. Or so the saying goes. Given his history, he would have considered himself a patient person. You would not think so now. Patience is something that alludes him more and more as each day passes. The seconds tick by one by one and the hour hand never seems to move. In the history of marriage he wonders if he were the only groom who felt more urgent than his bride about their upcoming nuptials. As the day got closer, he feels a plaguing sense of urgency to have it finally come. It is not coming quickly enough for him. It makes him wonder just why there was such a term as cold feet. His own feet could not have been warm enough to walk down that aisle and finally bind Stella to his side forever. The faster the day approached, the happier he would become. He has already had a few complaints from his brothers about this sudden impatience of his already. With each new day, he finds himself pacing unconsciously because he has too much excess energy. It does not even matter that with the upcoming event in question, he has been busy with meeting the visiting dignitaries and holding special receptions for them. None of this was enough to keep his mind distracted enough not be conscious of every turn of that accursed hour hand.

"So help me Noct if you don't sit down for five seconds I'm going to strap you to that chair," warns Des in exasperation.

He raises an eyebrow at the warning, but does not bother to refute it.

"It'll take less than half that time before he's beating the crap out of you," comments Sapien as he reads something on his handheld.

"That's what you should invent next, Sapien," says Des as he ignores the comment. "A rope that will restrain Noctis."

"I don't have that much time on my hands," answers Sapien.

"Maybe we should take a drive," offers Vires as he watches him begin to pace again.

"With those things already crawling up Noct's pants?" asks Des with a frown. " Being in a car would be much worse."

"You might actually get them in your pants," he retorts with a roll of his eyes.

"You want to know what I like to do to pass the time?" asks Des.

"No," answers Sapien.

"Des...," warns Vires.

"I read the gossip rags!" cries Des as he produces an armload of tabloid magazines.

He is not sure what to be more appalled at. The sincerity of Des' tone or the sheer amount of magazines that his friend has. Especially since he was on most of the covers.

"You know I do not bother with such trivial matters," he answers as he puts his hands behind his back to pace the length of the room again.

"When is Stella coming back?" asks Sapien.

"Within the hour, I hope," he answers quickly as he looks at the clock again. He sincerely hopes she will be back within the hour. She had not really given him an exact time frame to expect her return, but she has been gone long enough for her to be due back. Complications regarding the construction of her dress had been distressing her of late. He has been tempted to tell her that she could be walking down the aisle in her pajamas and he would not care. Only, he knows to say it out loud would result in an indignant fiancé who would consider him an inconsiderate cad and refuse to let him hold her for awhile. If things had been up to him, he would have had a small ceremony in his country estate with just their closest friends. It would be nothing like this media frenzy that it was becoming. It was not up to them though. They owed it to the pepple to do this as they were. Which has him keeping his mouth shut.

"Have you written your vows yet?" asks Vires.

"If you're having trouble, I'm sure Flash will help," offers Des.

"Fulgur?" asks Sapien skeptically.

"Fulgur is not the poetic type," argues Vires.

"He talks fancier than Noct," Des argues back. "I am sure he will have the right words for waxing lyrical."

"Any lyrical words he may have, would be reserved for Astra," he states.

"He'd be your best bet since we don't know the first thing about sounding all proper like you do," says Des as he thinks it over. "But we could try for you!"

"I do not need any help. I already know what I am going to say," he answers and he did. He was not going to cheapen his heartfelt vows by writing in on a piece of paper and reading it like some bumbling idiot in front of a million people. Stella deserved more than that. He knows his feelings. There was no need to rehearse that.

"Oh... its good. I can already tell from your face," says Des as he grins at him. "But come on, maybe we can think good ideas for you in case you forget."

"What have you in mind?" he asks more out of intrigue than anything else.

"Okay, here it goes," says Des as he clears his throat.

"Wait," says Sapien as he looks up from his handheld and comes to sit with the rest of them.

Des clears his throat again. "I know that I shall never see, nothing more beautiful than a tree. Until the day I met thee."

"A tree? Are you seriously comparing Stella to a tree?" asks Sapien. "That is what you can come up with?"

"Aren't flowers what girls like to be compared to?" asks Vires.

"Trees last longer than flowers!" protests Des. "Besides, that rhymed!"

"It sure did," he comments with an amused smirk.

"You try for something better Mr. Specks and Gruff man," challenges Des to Sapien and Vires.

"Sure," says Vires with a roll of his eyes. "Roses are red. Violets are blue. Des is a fool and he'd rather be in bed."

"Didn't know you loved me like that, buddy," winks Des as he laughs at the look on Vires' face. Then he turns to Sapien. "Your turn, Sap!"

"My turn to... pledge my eternal devotion to the shrine of Des?" asks Sapien dryly.

"What other shrine would there be?" retorts Des cheekily.

"Oh blond haired one. How shall I compare thee to a summer's day..."

"Okay, now I know its going to be bad," Des interrupts.

"That actually sounded pretty good," he adds.

"How do you know?" asks Sapien with a raised eyebrow. "I was just getting started."

"No wonder you haven't had a date in over a year!" says Des.

"It did sound a little corny," comments Vires with a chuckle.

"And yours didn't?" asks Sapien with a scoff.

"I was going for sarcasm," answers Vires.

"So was I."

"Does nobody love me?" complains Des.

"I am glad none of you are writing your own vows," he comments with a laugh.

"And I have not had a date in a year because I have been too busy to date," huffs Sapien indignantly.

"Too busy?" says Des skeptically. "How can you be too busy for girls? Noct finds all sorts of time."

"But not to find one," he defends quickly. "It took me my whole life to find Stella. I had not even been aware that I was looking for her at all."

"And how do you do that?" asks Des giving him a clinical look.

"Do what?"

"Make it sound all mushy without even meaning to."

"Mushy?" he asks. Were the words that romantic?

"Yeah."

"That is 'mushy'?" he asks.

Three heads nod at him.

"Sometimes you say things that would normally give me gag reflexes but you say it so pretty that I never get them when I should," blurts Des.

What a picture that made.

"That almost sounds like an insult," comments Vires.

"Don't instigate," says Des.

"I am thankful that you like my use of verbal skills," he comments somewhat uncomfortably.

"Definitely ain't verbal diarrhea," comments Des.

"What a mental image," responds Sapien with a shudder.

"I know, plain ole diarrhea is ugly enough," says Des cluelessly.

Vires snickers with a shake of his head.

"Come on, seriously," says Des. "What do you plan on saying for your vows?"

"I am not going to be practicing in front you lot," he says.

"Why not?" asks Sapien with a smirk.

"Are you sure you don't want to practice, Noct?" asks Vires, seriously. "You tend to clam up when you're feeling uncomfortable."

"I am going to be fine," he groans.

"Denial," comments Des.

"I am not getting cold feet," he reassures.

"No, more like hot coals making you want to run down the aisle," says Des.

"You know this is going to be televised around the world," reminds Sapien.

He would have much rather they did not remind him of that particular part.

"I am aware," he says, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Come on, Noct," whines Des. "Just tell us a little part of it."

"No," he says firmly. "I have it all worked out in my head."

"Oh boy," comments Sapien knowingly.

"What is that supposed to mean?" he asks somewhat affronted.

"In your head, Noct?" asks Des. "Talk about verbal diarrhea. That means its a jumble of words that are too wordy to even come out of your mouth."

"You're going to end up talking too fast," says Vires with a look of concern.

"Or only saying one sentence before you stop," adds Sapien.

"Bunch of nannies," he grumbles. "I know what I am going to say and no, you do not have to hear it."

Before they can start to say anything else, he beings his pacing again. He already knows the three of them are exchanging looks. They were right of course. So he tries to run over what words he had been planning to use again. He starts to think about Stella and how much he just wished he could keep her with him. Lonely was not the right word to describe how he felt when she was not with him. It was not loneliness. It was a necessity. It was a need. It was more like there was a part of him that was missing and he felt hallow and empty. He was the shell and she was the essence within that made him whole. The wheels of the clock are turning as the seconds tick by but the hands are not moving as fast as he would like. It almost seems like they are not moving at all. The wedding is not coming fast enough.

"These are fun to read! Give that back!" cries Des. He looks over just in time to see Vires as he throws a magazine into the waste bin.

"You know all the people in there. Why would you want to read about them?" asks Vires as he tries to grab another magazine from Des' pile.

"Because it's fun to read what everyone else is reading about them," argues Des as he clutches one close to his chest. There is the sounds of a small struggle and Des' cry of triumph before he is reading once more. There is the rustle of paper as he scans through one of the more known magazines. He is actually familiar with the one Des is holding in his hands but he cannot say the same for the rest piled on the couch beside. He watches as Des' eyes widen and then quickly turns the page with a nervous gulp.

"What did you just read?" he asks.

"What? Where?" asks Des with feigning ignorance.

It makes him raise his eyebrow.

"In there," he says nodding towards the magazine his friend's hands. He reaches out his hand for it.

"Now now," says Des as he holds it closer to his body. "You said you don't read such trivial things, Noct."

That was absolutely the wrong thing to say because now he had to know what was in that issue.

"Give me the magazine, Des," he says.

"You're right, Vires," says Des as he tries to get past him to throw the magazine away. "I know these people. There's no need... ack! Noct!"

He riffles through the pages to try and find what had made Des look so uneasy.

"Come on, Noct!" cries Des as he tries to grab it out of his hands. "It's just trashy.. what was the word?"

"Fodder," says Sapien helpfully but he can hear the underlying question in his voice.

"Trashy tabloid fodder!" exclaims Des, but he is not really listening to his friend anymore.

His already red eyes are glowing hot as he scans the large, bold headline in front of him. It is accompanied with a very high quality photograph. He feels the blood drain from his face. It's replaced with a need for retribution. For the sudden need to not only hit something, but shed blood too.

"What is it?" asks Sapien cautiously as he watches the look on his face.

"It isn't true, Noct," says Des. "You know it isn't true."

"Come on already. What does it say?" asks Vires impatiently.

He throws the magazine and it lands with a sharp slap on the cold stone floor.

"I am going to kill him," he warns as he makes his way towards the door.

"Now, now, Noct," says Des as he gets in his way. "You can't kill a reporter for..."

"I am not going to kill the reporter," he growls. "I am going to kill that sunny bastard."

"Noct," Sapien calls behind him. "Remember what happened the last time you..."

"I am not going to beat him into a bloody pulp," he spits out. "I am going to bloody kill him!"

"Noct," says Vires as he stands within the doorway, blocking his exit.

"His hand isn't even really touching Stella's..."

"But it looks like he is. That is the point!" he shouts as he teleports behind Vires and keeps on walking. To say that he was seething was a major understatement. He was surprised that the walls were not trembling as he purposely stomps towards the upper levels in search of the Sunny man that was not going to be so sunny anymore.

Not when he is through him this _time_, he thinks.

He cannot risk teleporting in his anger but he does use his power to prevent his brothers from grabbing hold of his arm and restraining him. They do not try after he makes his way up the stairs, but they do stay close behind him. There is a part of him that knows that he will not kill Sol. His brothers will make sure that he does not, but he knows they will allow him a few hits to appease his anger. Politics be damned, he was going to give that Sunny bastard something that would make that pretty face of his not so pretty anymore.

As he makes determined, angry steps he passes by Fulgur in the halls. The usually quick man stops to stare at their little parade of destruction a moment before he manages to utter a word.

"Why does Noctis look so angry?" he hears Fulgur ask. There is the rustling of paper. "Insufferable."

"Wouldn't be a wedding if there wasn't at least one fight," says Des. "Next will be the inevitable break down."

"Where is that orange colored, bleached toothed, artificial, shiny prat!" he growls as he walks towards the outer courtyard.

"Let it out, Noct," says Sapien from behind him.

"Even that sounded like it rhymed," comments Des.

He blinks his eyes and then closes them. Taking a small breathe, he opens up his senses to try and locate Sol's crystal.

"Where is everyone going?" he hears asked. The sound of the voice causes his eyes to snap open.

It looks as if Sol had just gotten back from a trip outside the castle. He is dressed semi casually with a white dress shirt that will not remain white for long.

"I'd run," says Vires.

But the warning comes too late because he has already launched himself at the arrogant prat and lands a punches against those pretty features. The resounding crack sounds almost as good as it feels as the other man goes flying backwards. He shakes his hand to loosen his wrist for another hit.

"This time you go too far," he says as he lifts the other man by the collar and lands another punch on the other side of his face. He is about to kick him when he's thrown backwards by the force of Sol's own power.

"Look," says Sol as he watches him get back to his feet.

He dusts himself off from the table that has flattened under his weight.

"Those pictures were taken back at Solis. When we were not on the best of term,." Sol tries to explain.

He does teleport then and lands another punch, this time on the nose and watches as blood squirts onto Sol's once pristine white shirt.

"I never touched her that way!" Sol shouts, his voice muffled as he clutches his bleeding nose.

"Would you care to tell me just how the picture shows you groping _my_ fiancé's breasts then?" he reaches and snatches the magazine from Sapien's outstretched hand and throws it at the other man.

He gives Sol a moment to read the headline while holding a handkerchief against his nose.

_The Fickle Queen! Torn between two kings. The ultimate love triangle. Secret trysts._

Along with a picture of Stella with each of them separately. The biggest picture being from their trip to Solis when the prat had volunteered to give Stella surfing lessons.

"So you are not angry that it calls Stella a fickle princess who cannot decide between the two of us, but of the fact that it looks like I am caressing her bosom?"

"Because I know she is not fickle," he responds as he feels his knuckles itching to throw another blow. "It is the fact that you are looking right into the camera lens and strategically placing your hand as if you really are touching an intimate area of her body, that pisses me off."

"Like I said," responds with as much dignity as this situation can muster for him. "We were not on the most friendly of terms and I wanted to... well I was not in my right mind."

"You won't have a mind once Noct is done with you," retorts Sapien.

"What, are we going to settle this with swords?" asks Sol sarcastically.

"No," he answers. He almost savors the look of surprise on the sunny man's face before he answers. "I would rather bash your bloody head in with my bare hands." He rushes at Sol again before the other man can absorb his statement and swings his arm back to do just that.

"Stop!" shouts the one voice that can reach him within this haze of anger. Soft hands close around his arm to stop him from inflicting another blow upon Sol's ungrateful skull. He feels the adrenaline leave his arm as he turns to look at her face.

The red glow of his eyes dampens but they are not yet blue again as her presence soothes him.

"Stella, I am so glad you are here," says Sol as he gets back to his feet.

He is not looking at Sol now. He is too busy looking at the expression on Stella's face.

"You do not have to defend my honor," she says to him before turning around to face Sol.

"I just want to apolo..."

Sol does not get a chance to finish his apology because there is another satisfying crunch as Stella's fist connects with his face and he steps back with a surprised yelp. Then it is him that is restraining Stella from inflicting more injury to the sunny man.

"How dare you!" she cries. "The next time you decide you want to be thoroughly beaten, you only need to ask!"

She whirls around to look at him and he is almost afraid that she will yell at him as well.

"I want to look at your knuckles," she says as she reaches for his hands and he is so surprised that he does nothing but show her his hands.

"You pack a punch, Stell!" comments Des approvingly.

"Split his lip right in two," adds Vires with a nod of his head.

"I am really sorry," mumbles Sol through his bloody handkerchief.

"Not now," Stella says as she holds up her hand to him. "When I am not so angry at you, I may want to hear it. But for now, I am going to see to my husband's hand."

He watches as Stella takes his hands and begins to leads him away. There is nothing for him to do and nothing he wants more than to go with her. He is only glad that she is here. Had it only been a few moments earlier that he had been waiting restlessly for her to return? He still feels angry enough to continue his beating of Sol, but he would rather be with her instead. So he lets her lead him into one of the empty rooms with an adjoining bathroom and tries not to smirk too much at how proud it made him feel that she had called him her husband. She pushes him onto one of the couches before she disappears to get him a wet towel for his knuckles.

"Will the madness never cease," she sighs from the other room. He can hear the water running briefly before she shuts it off. Then she comes back into view with a wet towel in her hands. "If it is not one thing, it is another."

"Forgive me if I..."

"You," she says interrupting him as she moves to kneel in front of him. She presses the cold towel gently against his bleeding knuckles and he tries not to hiss when he feels them sting. "Fighting for my honor is very hot."

"Hot?" he asks as his brows furrow.

"Yes," she answers as she looks up into his face with a teasing smile on her lips. "It makes me want to kiss you senseless for being so chivalrous."

"Funny that," he smirks as he leans in closer to her face. "You defending your own honor makes me rather hot too."

She responds by giving him a very quick peck on the lips, which leaves him very unsatisfied and uncontrollably pouty. Which makes her giggle and kiss him a little longer this time, but pulls away before he can deepen it.

"I must see to your knuckles first," she says as she ignores the pout on his face.

"I care not for my bleeding knuckles," he almost growls in his frustration to have her lips against his once more.

"But I do," she says as she raises one of his hands and kisses it gently.

"My lips suffer injury too," he pouts.

"Nice try," she says with another giggle that makes his heart melt.

"And what of your own?" he asks as he reaches for her right hand.

"It hurts a little," she confesses. "I am sure it will bruise."

He brings it to his own lips and places a lingering kiss upon her knuckles before running them over the bones.

"If only I did not have to wear gloves," she says with a mischievous grin. "Then everyone would know who split Sol's lip."

They both smirk at each other. Then her face turns hesitant.

"The headline," she says softly. "You did not believe what it said, did you?"

"I plan on having words with the editor of the magazine," he answers.

She raises an eyebrow at him, clearly not believing he will only have words exchanged, but does not comment.

"No, I did not believe what it said."

"It could have looked that way to you," she presses. "In that picture, I really was having a good time. I just had not known that he was making a show of how close we were on that surfboard."

"I do not hold anything against you about this entire thing," he answers honestly. "It was I who had been too afraid to stand up to Etro sooner. If I had, then this entire thing would not have even happened to begin with."

"I care not for what everyone else may think of me," she says as she reaches for his face. "It is your opinion that truly matters to me. What you wish for, I wish for too."

"And if I were to say that I want to marry you right this instant instead of waiting tomorrow?" he asks with a smirk that makes her laugh.

"I would do it," she answers with a smile. "I really would, but we would regret the negative effects it would have on our marriage."

"We are too responsible," he comments and lets his disappointment leak through in his tone.

"I love you, you know," she reminds him.

"I love you too," he says but he does not understand why she felt compelled to remind him now.

"There is nothing that will stop me from marrying you tomorrow," she says and he realizes that she has felt his sense of urgency.

"I cannot help but feel ill at ease," he confesses as he leans his forehead against hers.

"This is going to happen," she says as she kisses his nose, then each of his cheeks. "I swear it will." Then she kisses his lips. She does not pull away when he reaches for her this time and the kiss deepens as he moves his lips against hers. He pulls her flush against him as he kisses her even deeper.

"Stella?" a voice utters as the door knob turns, causing the two of them to part hastily. "Oh sorry!" cries Astra as she turns her back on them.

A sigh escapes his lips as he shakes his head in frustration. Stella keeps her hands on his shoulders as she acknowledges her friend.

"What is it Astra?"

"Your dress is here!" responds Astra excitedly.

He wants to sigh again because he knows that this means she will leave him, again, to handle more wedding arrangements. He does not even realize he is pouting again until he feels her kiss the scar near his chin.

"Go on," he tells her because he can see the excitement and glee in her eyes.

She smiles up at him gratefully and shows her gratitude by kissing him again.

"Why do I never have my camera when things get interesting?" laments Des as he stands beside Astra.

"I shall see you later," says Stella as she squeezes his wrist before ducking under his arm and rushing out the door with Astra.

He watches her go reluctantly as she disappears from his sight, with her scent still lingering in the air around him.

"You know, Noct," says Des. "That sort of reminds me that you never make out in front of us."

The statement is enough to make him frown. "What do you mean?"

"I mean we wouldn't mind if you ever sucked face in front of us," explains Des.

"How eloquently stated," says Vires with a wince.

"You mean _you_ wouldn't mind," comments Sapien as he makes his way inside to sit on the couch opposite of him.

"I'm just sayin', you don't have to worry about us getting weirded out if the impulse ever gets you."

"Very reassuring Des," he comments dryly before he looks at the clock. It was only the early afternoon. He had the entire evening and another long morning to wait.

"I have fresh gossip," announces Des smugly.

"You are worse than the rags you read!" cries Vires with a roll of his eyes.

"Hey! I'm not responsible for what I hear," protests Des.

"Do we want to know?" asks Sapien as he reads something off his handheld.

"It's about Sunshine and Snowflake."

"What about them?" he asks.

"I overheard them just now when they thought they were alone."

"Okay..." says Vires as he makes a motion with his hand to hurry Des along.

He is merely surprised that Procella had witnessed earlier. He had not even noticed her there. Which meant that Astra must have been there too. Who else had been there and he had not even had the presence of mind to notice?

"It sounds like those two have a past history together," says Des.

"Past history," says Sapien skeptically.

"What makes you say that, Des?" he asks.

"Sunshine said something about if Snow weren't just a frosty glacier, they would have worked."

"You just made that up right, now, didn't you?" asks Vires suspiciously.

"Why would I lie about that!" exclaims Des.

"You said you were a shipper for them," points out Sapien.

"Doesn't make it any less true."

"Sol and Procella?" he asks out loud.

"Polar opposites...get it!?" cries Des as he laughs at himself.

They decide they do not believe Des' bit of gossip.

"So about this reporter," says Vires as he ignores Des' smug grin. "What are we going to do about him?"

"I told Stella I would have words with the editor," he says.

"And she believed you?" laughs Des.

"Of course not," says Sapien knowingly. "Did she say what you couldn't do?"

The question makes him smile.

"No," he answers and he is mirrored with three other similar smirks.

"Well we do have time to kill, don't we?" asks Sapien as he puts his handheld down to smirk knowingly at him.

He looks at the clock again before he looks back at his brothers. "We definitely have enough time."

* * *

End Note: I hope nobody minds that I'm stretching Eclipse out. I just can't let it go just yet.


	22. Inimicus

A/N: This is not the wedding. Apologies for those of you who were expecting it to be this one. I have already finished the initial draft for that. Actually, I had just printed it out to make the final edits when I got a review that reminded me that there was someone that was completely misunderstood during this entire series. Maybe it was because I had already laid out his intentions and knew his motives while I was writing that I never hated him. He was actually one of my favorites.

Inimicus is latin for "foe".

_**Inimicus**_

There could be many names that would come to one's mind when thinking of him. It just depended on who you were asking. He was different things to different people but consistently, it was that he was the playboy. He was good looking. He had power. He had wealth. It made women easy and eager for any amount of attention he was willing to provide them. That was even before he opened his mouth and showed them how charming he was. Or maybe, how charming he could be. He always took advantage of these things that he had been gifted with. In fact, it could be said that he basked in the glory of it. He was a shameless cad and he knew that, but nobody had seemed to mind or care. That is, until he had been chosen to be a Crystal Bearer.

As every city and nation around the globe, he heard many things about Nihilsomno. Even before the events of Noctis' rise to power, he had always heard snippets about the city and the ruling powers. He knew that both contained a hidden, dark and tragic history. He knew that things had not been going well within the realm. He knew many things that he had heard about the city's Prince, Noctis. The notorious playboy and subsequent stain in the council's precious power. Yes, he had heard quite a bit about Noctis. It seemed rather disappointing that he and Noctis had not become fast friends because of his previous reputation. Maybe they could have, if he had not been such a blackguard to the other man.

The doom of their initial relationship had been entirely his fault. He knows it was. He also knows what he must have looked like to everyone else within their little group. Just some pretty faced man that was overly tanned and was too pretentious to look past his own mirror. He had also been painted vindictive by threatening the authority and title of the leader among the other Crystal Bearers. So, maybe he had overdone it just a little with the constant badgering. It was just so much more interesting to make a big deal than just bowing your head in submission. He knew that if the roles had been reversed, Noctis would have put up a fight too. He was an alpha male, but Noctis was the better alpha male. He had known that too. It did not mean he was going to take it all lying down. What was a leader if they could not stand up to a challenge?

The rumors had also been wrong of course. A player knew another player and he knew the game. Noctis was not a playboy. _He_ was the playboy. Noctis knew the rules but his execution of them was always too standoffish. But he was good at playing the role. So well that you could have missed it. As he got to observe Noctis up close, he saw a clever individual who was an expert at hiding. The guy had perfected self control like an art form. So of course it made him want to break him out.

He found a way with Stella. She had ended up being the kicker in their confrontations. There were other women in their little circle that he could have focused on instead. Just because he was a womanizer, that did not mean he did not have standards. Flirting was harmless. That did not mean that he was going to settle for anything less than what he thought a proper challenge for himself. He found Astra too easily manipulated. She blushed too much and she was just too timid. Procella was as prickly as she had always been. Mira was just a kid. He did have those standards. Stella was something else. She was different in a way that made him want to know her better. Stella was never prickly and she was not easily manipulated. She never fawned at him like he had been used to. She was a challenge.

Call it complete male egotism, but when he had seen that she so adamantly preferred Noctis over him, he had taken up the challenge to try and win her. Stella was charming and cheerful and Noctis was depressing and dark. He could not believe that such a bleak guy had snagged someone like Stella. Especially when someone like him was around. He was charming and he was cheerful. They were both even blond. She should have liked him better than that broody guy.

He knows it was all ego, that his motivations were not entirely honorable. His mission had been to charm away another man's girl. So he had started to tease her. It was always so amusing when she blushed at his advances before tiptoeing a safe distance away from him. It had turned into a type of game for him. They always say how women tease, but they don't really say that men love to tease too. Teasing Stella had been fun. It was an added bonus that it seemed to irk Noctis where his constant badgering during their meetings had not. So the teasing had continued because it was fun to rile up Noctis while watching Stella blush so prettily for him. That is not to say that he did not start to develop genuine feelings for the star. He would be lying if he denied ever having any feelings towards her. He did have an affection for Stella.

Then the shift had happened. He had been able to tell right away. Something was wrong. The two of them seemed _off_. Most times it was almost eye roll inducing just how many times you could catch them making eyes at each other. Yet, that one week, it was clear that Noctis had cut the relationship. He would have bet money that Noctis had not even bothered to tell Stella why he was even doing it. What made it infuriating was how confused and despondent Stella had gradually become as the week had worn on. He knew enough to know that Noctis had a reason. As vain as they all made him out to be he was not dense. He knew that Noctis wasn't one of those people who randomly dropped people from their lives. Especially ones that he loved and he loved Stella. Anyone could see that. It just did not make any sense and it had pissed him off. So, in an effort to make Noctis crack, he had redoubled his efforts to try and get Stella to make a smile for him. Stella didn't deserve to be treated like that, least all from a man that loved her as much as Noctis did. As much as a cad he was, even he let the ladies down gently. The entire thing had been unforgivable. A poor show of the male sex. There was no way he was going to let Noctis get away with it. To see someone as bright as Stella eventually turning into an angry and bitter old maid made his blood boil and not in the pleasant way.

When Noctis had been so jealous (and he knew that it was jealousy), that he had sabotaged he and Stella during their paired races, he had, had it with the spiky haired man. A duel had not been a good idea. He had known it was but his mouth had openly demanded it before he could rethink it. When Noctis had actually accepted the challenge, he had almost smirked in triumph. He had actually found a chink in the other man's armor. Yes, he did get his backside handed to him by Noctis and he had been bruised and bloodied to an unimaginable degree. It had been worth it though because it made Noctis feel even worse when it had been Stella who had stepped in and come to his aid. The vein was pulsing so visibly on Noctis' forehead that he was sure, even with his already puffing eyes, that it was near bursting. It was only the fact that his jaw had been broken that he hadn't laughed.

It had been no surprise when Noctis had shown up in his hospital room later that night. That had been totally predictable. He had known that Noctis would have felt guilty after he had been given time to cool off. Men like him did. It took a lot to make them snap, but when they did, well... he had known it was going to be bloody and he had been willing to pay for it. He thinks he had been the one to get out of it easy. His wounds would heal. The mark on his face would scar but not too badly. That didn't really matter to him anyway. What did was that it was Stella who had gotten the rotten end of the stick. Her wounds wouldn't heal, no matter how much time had passed. That hurt him more than the injuries caused by Noctis because he cared about her and there was nothing he could do to make her feel better.

The encounter with Noctis had only gotten him more riled up. By the time the other man had left him alone again with the parting words, "Love grows cold," he had known something was definitely wrong. He just couldn't have put those pieces together because he hadn't had all the details. At the time, he had been too pissed off to try and rationalize Noctis' motives. Why should he have? The guy had practically offered to hand Stella to him. He was sure that Stella would have knocked his lights out if she had known that. It had been that night that he had decided he wasn't going to let Noctis get away with it. Which was even more firmly rooted when he found out how badly Stella had looked after their last competition. He hadn't been there, having been confined in a hospital bed, but he had heard from Tonitrus that whatever tenseness there had been before between Stella and Noctis, it was even worse now. There was something about Stella falling and scratching her back against a rock and her refusal to explain how it had happened to anyone. He had been very glad that their next official visit would be to his home territory. It was always better to fight on one's own turf than in someone else's and he had been dead set on making it as torturous as possible for that Emo boy.

His country was known for its stunning beaches and the unique colors of its shores. It was like having summer every day of the year, every year. He loved his country. What with the constant cold and dingy trips they had, had before, his city would be a welcome reprieve for everyone. His council was absolutely furious about his run in with Noctis and he had settled them a bit. Just enough so that they would not want to declare war on Nihilsomno, but still give Noctis a hard time when he came. Which would have perfect because it would mean that Noctis would be stuck in meetings for most of the day, left to wonder just what he was doing with Stella, while he tried to cheer up Stella with the many activities he would be planning for her.

It was two weeks before they were to be arriving in his country that he had the brilliant idea to invite Stella to stay an additional week. A week without the other Crystal Bearers present. It had been a gamble. He hadn't been sure that Stella would even accept the invitation but she had. Her only condition being that Astra was to be invited too. Which didn't matter. The more the merrier in his opinion. He had grinned the rest of the day when he had gotten her acceptance letter. The wheels of his head turned so rapidly that he couldn't decide what he wanted to do first during her visit. He had promised that they would be staying his own private estate, further away along the beach. The most beautiful beach of his kingdom. He just hoped that the rest of his plan would work too.

The plan had always been to induce Noctis to stay that extra week too. That part had been an even bigger gamble because Noctis had not budged the entire trip. Not even after he had made sure to showcase just how great a couple he and Stella made on a longboard. There had been a back up plan to that if Noctis hadn't taken the bait to stay another week just in case. He had hired a photographer to take a picture of him and Stella as they rode the top of the water together. The day the photographer had hidden in between the palm trees, he had been almost to his limits with Noctis' firm control. So he had overdone it just a little bit by strategically placing his hand near Stella's chest that would be completely misinterpreted. The back up plan had been that if Noctis would not be convinced to stay the next week with Stella, he would have the picture published in a magazine that he was sure Noctis would see. Then maybe that would have provoked him enough to either come kill him or run over to Stella to demand an explanation. Either one would have been satisfactory.

The first plan had worked as it had meant to. He had casually, but purposely, asked Stella and Astra what they would like to do first while they stayed the extra days. It had been so hard not to give away his smugness when all four of those Nihil boys had taken the bait. He hadn't expected Noctis to say anything, but he knew that one of the other three would for him. It had just been good fortune that it had been Des that had insinuated that he had wanted to take Stella to bed. Des had inadvertently given him a wonderful idea. He would give his rooms to Stella during her stay and torture Noctis even more in the process. A big part of him had wanted to thank the bobble headed court jester for being such a big help. The look on Noctis' face had been priceless and he looked about ready to vault over the table to strangle him. He knew he'd stabbed right through that thick armor when the cutlery had started clattering. But instead of letting it get to the point of duels, he had asked Stella to dance with him.

The only part of his plan that he did not like was that he had not been completely sincere with Stella. His blatant and shameless flirting with her had been more for Noctis than for her. Though he was glad when he did manage to get her to crack a smile or forget momentarily that she was heartbroken. He was just glad that she was smart enough not to take it too much to heart and end up falling for him. As deeply as he felt for Stella, he would not accept being second place. It just was not in him to be _that_ guy.

Something happened later that night. You would have been stupid not to have noticed. There had been something in the air around the halls that told him something important was happening. The next morning, things were different. Stella looked different. Noctis looked different. His buddies acted different. Instead of pointing this out, he had continued his torture. Whatever had changed the night before, there was still something very wrong about the situation. Obviously so when neither Stella nor Noctis spoke to each other. Not even in brief civil conversations that they had been having since the whole thing had started. In fact, Stella had not really looked at Noctis at all. It was almost as if she had been carefully avoiding his direction. It seemed a role reversal. The entire week before it had been Noctis who avoided her gaze and now it was Noctis who would not stop staring at her.

The immature tricks the friends were playing with him told him that something fishy was going on. Des' digs at him were nothing he hadn't heard before. He liked Des well enough but that didn't mean he had to show it. He'd grinned when he'd told them that Stella would be staying his own rooms and Noctis would be one floor down. That and he was sure that Noctis was seething at the irony that he really was going to have Stella in his bed. It just hadn't been as dirty as they had thought. Sometimes it accomplished a lot when you had a reputation for being a womanizer. Especially in this situation where he was risking personal injury trying to get one man to crack and fess up.

He is sure that he had accomplished his goal on that last night. It was partly a gift to Des to have all those ladies surround Noctis and it also helped to keep Noctis from Stella as he showed her off. He also had no doubt about who had been responsible for ending his party with everyone making a mad dash in panic towards their cars. There was no other person that could have been responsible for crashing his party. When those lights had started flickering during his dance with Stella, he had known what was going to happen next. So when the first bulb had exploded and people starting hustling about, he had let go of her and moved aside. He had known full well, what Noctis had been intending to do and he had let him. Fortunately, Stella and Noctis had both been too distracted in that moment to notice that he had purposely left her there. It probably would have backfired if they had.

It was finally when they had all gone to Procella's icy abode that he felt the fruits of his labor. His race with Noctis had clued him in. Everyone had been expecting a show. Why else would they have paired him up with Noctis for the last leg of the race? So he had given them something to talk about and taking advantage at the same time. He had lost his patience for a moment there and almost exposed himself but he hadn't, not really. Even though Noctis seemed to know that he had been doing all this on purpose. Before things got very interesting, the guy was walking away again to go brood. It had disheartened him. Then later, Stella had finally confronted him about his obvious intent to rile up Noctis. He was good at going around a question but she saw right through him. It was like her to and he was glad for it. He just didn't like that she still persisted in being stuck in such a twisted romance. So he had pulled another one of his ace's from his sleeve and told her that Noctis had given him permission to pursue her and had almost regretted it when he saw the angry expression that spread all over her face. He had needed to distract her enough so that he could make his escape. Then she would go hunting for Noctis and then channel her understandable wrath on the stubborn headed block.

The events of the next day had landed him two broken legs and spending a couple weeks next to Militis. Maybe that was another price to pay for being as nasty as he has been. He knows he had been in rare form the past couple of months, but he found comfort in knowing that Stella and Noctis had finally gotten their act together and were starting to act less angsty and more normal. Well, not exactly normal. They were still being cautious for some reason that he could not understand. At first he wondered if he really had been a wedge but Stella had never been interested in him and Noctis certainly didn't care about shoving their relationship in his face. It was something else, which made him wonder what had been such a big deal to drive them apart like that. It had obviously not been consensual on either one of their parts.

Then there had been that dinner. That momentous dinner that he doubts the world will ever forget. He doesn't think he will ever forget the events of that night either. There have been many things that he has seen and witnessed during the months that they had visited each other's homes. Most had been things that he had never even imagined were possible. It was incredible to see how everyone lived with what they had. There were things that he had been capable of doing that surprised him. It had taken a lot of adjusting, but he had adjusted better than some of the others. The potential in each of them was there, it was just that some were not as assertive as they need to be. He hopes that after that night, those too timid would find their strengths. They may have defeated a powerful foe, but he had no doubts that they had more than one.

What happened during that dinner also answered a lot of his questions regarding Noctis and Stella's relationship and just what had been crawling up the other man's backside. While he had known that he could never love someone that deeply, he could appreciate it when someone else did. Noctis was a deep man. So naturally he would love deeply. There was no other way for him to feel. He just hadn't expected himself to be caught in the middle of it to that much of a degree. Okay so he had not really helped when it came to Noctis being jealous, having spent most of the last couple months trying to make him so. He just didn't realize how much of a threat he posed to Noctis. It showed an incredible amount of restraint. He was surprised that the guy hadn't killed him already for seeming to be the one standing in his way. Noctis was selfless where he was shamelessly selfish. He probably would have arrogantly told Etro to shove it where he didn't shine and be with Stella anyway. So it was a good thing that Noctis was not like him.

After that night, with Noctis proposing to Stella in such a brief and random move, he had ceased his flirtations with Stella. He was a cad. That was true, but even he had his limits. They were as good as married even before Noctis had even asked her and whatever he may be, he was not a homewrecker. He did have principals, even though he pretended that he didn't. The bickering with Des still entertained him and he was glad when that didn't end. Fulgur wasn't fun to go at it with because he was so stiff. Militis was all right but he found that the man had too much of an obsession with steel weapons for his tastes. Tonitrus wasn't as full of wit so it was easy to get the upper hand. Noctis didn't usually rise to the bait but when he did, he was good. Sapien was dry, but he did have some great lines. Vires often scowled and that got old pretty fast. Vitrum was too young to understand that there was no real hostility, just men being men. The kid was a fast learner though and he's sure that once he grew up, he'll be fun too.

"Sol?" he hears as a knock sounds at his door.

It's Noctis. As he would have guessed. Must have calmed down.

"Come in," he answers.

The door opens and Emo walks in.

"You really need to stop coming over like this," he says as he leans back against his couch. "People might start talking."

"No more so than they do now," responds Noctis as he sits on the couch directly across from him. He eases into the loveseat comfortably before giving him one of his assessing stares.

"Shall I call for some tea?" he asks sarcastically.

"Not if you do not wish to wear it," is the dry reply.

"I would rather wear something stronger," he says as he reaches for the decanter on the serving table in front of them and pours a generous measure of whiskey into two glasses. Then hands one to Noctis.

"Are you finished?" asks Noctis as he swirls the amber liquid around in the glass before taking a gulp.

"With what?" he asks wearily as he looks at his own glass and takes a drink.

"Acting like a fool," answers Noctis as he swirls his glass again.

"Maybe I like being a fool," he counters.

"You do not like it any better than I did," is the reply.

He raises his head and looks at the other man.

"Because you had something to prove."

"And you do not?"

"Not really," he answers as he takes another gulp. "I already have everything. Whereas you were not happy with what you had."

"The act gets old," advises Noctis.

"Not if you constantly change it," he says as he leans his head back again. "Keeps everyone on their toes that way."

"You are more complicated than I am."

"Only because you think too deeply into things," he answers.

"You do the same thing," says Noctis.

He can't deny that.

"Why did you do it?" asks Noctis.

"What?"

"Have that picture published," answers Noctis, giving him that look that tells him he already knew the reason. "Did you want me to snap again?"

Again. He figured Noctis already knew that his baiting had been intentional. He almost smiles but remembers that he has a split lip.

"Why? Do you feel better?"

"A little, but there would have been better ways to rouse my anger."

"Like what? You are too good at holding it all in," he answers as he looks up at him again. "What better way than through Stella to accomplish that?"

"Will you always use Stella?"

"Like I said, the Act changes."

"Keeping me on my toes?" Noctis asks with a raised eyebrow.

"Besides," he says. "That was not a confession."

"For a pretty boy you really have no regard for your face," comments Noctis as he looks at his bruised visage.

He merely shrugs in reply as he takes another drink.

"Why have you not even tried to heal them?"

"And miss the chance for my council to have a heart attack?" he asks. "What better way to do that then having my dashed face splashed across the papers at your wedding."

"Attention whore."

"The best," he says with a grin. "I am a natural crowd pleaser."

"You play this well."

"Only because I know what buttons to press," he answers as he looks at him seriously. "I hear you have your own troubles with your council."

"I do." It is an honest answer and he likes the other man all the more for being so blunt.

"You need to learn how to distract them with the mundane while you are making the more important decisions. They are afraid of you now, but they might not always be. You have to mix things up."

"You make your council out to be very superficial if they care so much about how pretty your face looks on camera."

"Because they are," he shrugs. "It is a cultural thing."

"What were you planning to do while your council is too busy attacking mine for ruining your sunny smile?" asks Noctis snidely

"A gentlemen does not kiss and tell," he answers smugly.

"You are not a gentlemen," deadpans Noctis.

"True, but nobody needs to know that."

"Thank you," says Noctis.

"For what?"

"For overwhelming my council while you distract yours."

He makes a dismissing sound. "Now you can enjoy your honeymoon without wondering if they are busy planning to stab you in the back. Even though," he adds with an awkward smile because of his lip. "That would be fun to watch."

"Sunny bastard," Noctis states matter of factly.

"No need to compliment me," he says. "But tell Stella I really do apologize for her humiliation."

"She is wise to your schemes too."

"Smart cookie."

"She is."

"She never would have picked me anyway," he tells the other man seriously. "You know that right?"

"It was not that I thought she would have," Noctis replies. "It was that you would have been the one that could give her what I could not have."

"Well then I am glad that you finally decided to show your selfish side."

"Why?"

"Stella completes you in a way that she would not have completed me and vice versa."

"I see that now," admits Noctis. "Will you tell me about your history with Procella?"

"That Des. I will ring his neck," he says without any venom as he refills his glass. "He gossips more than the maids."

"So you do have a history," smirks Noctis as he hands him his to refill too.

"Maybe," he shrugs.

"Better you told me than Des."

How very true. At least Noctis wouldn't tell the entire staff.

"Procella is a prickly ice cactus."

"Nice picture."

"Thanks."

"Still resentful I see," observes Noctis. "Must have been something."

"Nothing as dramatic as all that," he drawls.

"Opposites attract."

"More like opposites detract."

"With resentment."

"She resents that I can melt her ice claws," he states as he takes another drink. "I resent that she tries to slash me with them."

"Des will be disappointed."

"So he has started rooting for us like he had rooted for poor Fulgur and Astra," he comments. "Astra who had been mooning over Sapien."

"You noticed that too?"

"I do look beyond my own reflection," he comments with a roll of his eyes. "Sometimes."

Noctis responds with a snort over the rim of his glass.

"Astra will be good for him," he says. "Maybe then he will learn how to lighten up a bit."

"And he will help her with that backbone that she lacks," adds Noctis.

The comment makes him snicker, but he agrees.

"While I have loved our little boy chat," he says as he puts his now empty glass onto the tabletop. "I know you and your lackies have devised a devious plan to get back at the photographer. I want in. That slimy bugger got me in the wrong profile."

"You said you were not a deep thinker," asks Noctis even as he rolls his eyes at the last comment.

"What now?"

"Your plan was a little too brilliant to have been an accident."

"I am not getting anymore beautiful," he says to rush him along.

"You are keeping my council busy while giving me an excuse to temporarily shut down the biggest tabloid magazine."

"Stop flirting with me," he drawls and is about to leave it at that until he sees the knowing look on Noctis' face. "Call it my wedding gift."

"In any case," says Noctis with a smirk. "It just so happens that we could use you."

"Tell me what I have to do," he responds with a sly grin.

* * *

End Note: Because of this completely unplanned and impromptu chapter, there will be two updates for Eclipse this week. I hope you enjoyed!


	23. Matrimonium

A/N: This chapter was very emotional for me. I'm a sentimental type of girl. Having been in two weddings in my life (I do not want to be in anymore!) I am very familiar with the workings behind the scene. I can also tell you that most couples could not tell you about a lot of things that happen on the wedding day. They're just on this cloud and things happen in flashes of haze. I tried to do that here so that is why things are not very detailed. It is because Stella just does not notice them. Her mind is, understandably, on other things. :)

Matrimonium is latin for "marriage".

_**Matrimonium**_

The castle is a flurry of excited chaos. All the preparations that had previously been arranged so that all her long and stressful nights could see their due rewards. There had been moments where she did not think she could possibly have kept her sanity. Time constraints and last minute mishaps had all been panic inducing. At such times, a well placed comment from Des, a kind glance from Astra, a snide remark from Procella, a charming statement from Sapien or Vires, would help put her back at ease. Most effective of all was Noctis himself. It did not matter really what he did, just that he was there. He was an endless source of encouragement and strength. Noctis. Her ideal man. Her perfect companion. Her soon to be husband. Oh, how she loved the sound of that and was equally delighted whenever he called her his wife. For after today, she would no longer be just one. They would be one together.

Never in her most fantastical of fantasies had she imagined a love such as theirs. Their story was the stuff of legends and she knows that it will be retold to the endless generations to come. It brings a smile to her face to think that many will not believe their story. They would merely pass it off at myth and not a reality that had been. A fairy tale to tell the children of the future. For most things that they had endured together was within a realm of impossibility. Who would ever believe that they had been used to banish a goddess? Who would ever believe that a mere woman had dared to compete with a goddess for the affections of a man? Who would ever believe in their happy ending?

Though, perhaps, she was jumping forward a bit too hastily. Their wedding would not be their ending. It signalled a new beginning. This was the end of just him and just her. This begins the "their" and the "us". No longer will it be "me" and "I". It was perhaps more exciting than the hour of their births. For you do not get a choice when being born, but you do get to choose who you will spend the rest of your life with. It is the joining of your better half. She likes that. For she thought that Noctis was, indeed, her better half. They had been born alone and had, had to search for the other. Until at last, they had found each other.

This feeling of whimsy and glee could not be taken by the chaos currently outside her rooms. She did not even feel compelled to go outside to check. Whatever will be done, will be done and she has already done her part. All she wanted to focus on now was walking down that aisle and finally binding herself to Noctis. Binding in a way that they would not be parted again. That was all that mattered now. What mattered was that she be there and nothing could stop her from being there.

She had already determined that she would not be a stressful bride. Not on her wedding day. It was time to move that part of this aside and wrap the bliss of the moment around her. She cannot help the smile that stays on her face as she sits there. The presence of Noctis within her is anxious and urgent. He has been so anxious and his anxiety had grown as the day came closer. Now it was here and it feels as if his urgency had increased. She wonders if she would have been insecure had she not been able to tell what it was that had made him like this. Any other bride would have wondered if he were experiencing some sort of regret over this decision. Not her though and not about Noctis. She knows him too well to think that. But if she did not know him so well, she could thank Des for his words.

"Noct's feet could not be hotter, Stell," he had said and she still giggles whenever she thinks about it.

Ever since their victory over Etro, she finds she cannot stay away from Noctis for too long. It was like a physical ache to be away from him for long periods of time. It was different from just missing the one that you loved. It was much deeper. It felt like her heart did not beat as strongly without him. Though it had only been a long month engagement, their separations had not exceeded two days. That was as long as they were able to bear before one of them was jumping onto an airship and flying at top speeds towards the other. All that just to spend an hour or two before they had to return to their respective kingdoms. It was the most aching need. It was wonderful and magical. It was everything that their love meant. They just could not be without each other.

"Stella," calls Procella gently from where her vanity table has been arranged. "Time to get you ready."

"Coming," she says as she smiles up at her friends.

Her smile is returned as they both smile back at her.

Today would be one of the few days that Procella would not be wearing white. At Stella's urging, she had decided on an icy blue gown with long flowing sleeves. She was not to be the ice queen today either. Her stoic features seemed to softened in the overwhelming happiness that Stella was radiating. Smiles and happiness really were contagious afterall. It's clear from the usually chilly woman in front of her. Astra is wearing a shimmering gown of old with her long curly hair loosely tied in a ponytail down her elegant neck. Both of them were sights to be seen.

As she sits down upon the bench before the vanity, she can do nothing else but think about Noctis and the smile remains on her lips as Procella and Astra get to work on her. She does not delude herself into thinking that the urgency which they had needed to see each other during their engagement would always be so. That the desperate need for even a glimpse will lessen as time flowed by. There will be many things that will divert their attentions. So it was even more reason for her to savor each and every one of these moments. She knows there will be fights and there will be angry nights. Yet, as angry as they would inevitably make each other, neither would ever consider leaving the other. That, even then, no matter how hatefully she may feel, the thought of living life without him would not even cross her mind. These times, she shall cherish too. For this was the way of love and love would make it work. It had before and it would continue to do so, far into the future.

Thoughts of the future lead her to dream of the children they will have. She pictures a small boy with Noctis' impossible hair and her own blue eyes. He would be the very image of his father. She pictures a little girl with caramel colored hair and violet colored eyes. Their little girl would be a complete combination of the very best of her and Noctis. She can see both their children siting upon Noctis' lap as he told them stories, as his father had told him. They would be happy children whereas they had not been. Noctis would make sure of it. She would make sure of it. They would have twelve other people that would make sure of it too.

It reminds her of talking about this with Noctis the night before and she smiles yet again. He had crept into her rooms after their rehearsal dinner to visit with her before Procella could order him out again. It would be the last night she would have to bear being without him.

"Stella," his voice had called. It never ceased to cause a shiver of delight from running through her body and she had closed her eyes to enjoy the feeling. When next she opened her eyes, he had been before her. She was sure that her face had lit up at the mere sight of him. There seemed to be this glow around them that she could feel though no one else could see it.

"I was just imaging our future," she had told him.

"Oh?" he asked as he smiled back. "What do you see?"

"Our fights," she had answered and giggled at the look of confusion on his face. "How there is nearly nothing you can do that will make me want to leave you."

"Nearly nothing?" he had asked and it was just like him to catch that detail.

"If you were ever unfaithful to me, I would castrate you," she promised.

"That is not even a possibility," he vowed. "What other 'nearly nothing' things do you think of?"

"That is all really," she answered. "I think I have endured quite a bit already."

She touches his face to distract him before he could even think to feel guilty again.

"I can see our children," she continued to tell him.

"More than one?" he asked uneasily but she could see his eyes glitter.

"You do not want them?" she asked playfully.

"I, I do not know about them," he answered honestly.

She suspected as much, but she already knew that he would be a wonderful father. "Will you have them with me?"

"If you would have them with me," he answered. He leaned in closer to nuzzle at her neck.

A happy sigh had escaped her as she ran her hand through his midnight hair, then down along his face. "I hope everyone is prepared for a long ceremony tomorrow because I plan on saying many things in my vow."

That had caused him to chuckle before raising his head to kiss her nose.

"We can compare lengths at the altar," he joked.

They smiled at each other and she already could tell that she was going to be a mess of tears at the words he will say.

"How is everyone?" she asked, so as not to start crying too soon.

"I had to actually teleport away from the guys because they would not let me see you."

"Cruel," she pouted as she kissed him softly on the lips.

"Sol's face has swelled up," he smirked as he kissed her back. "I spoke to him earlier. He apologizes."

"As he should, the fiend," she replied before giving him a worried look. "How are you?"

"I want to be away with just you," he confessed. "I have no desire to share you."

She had giggled out of pure feminine delight at the sound of his possessiveness. "I have no desire to share you either," she said. "I shall not until it is absolutely necessary."

His reply had been cut off when in that moment Procella and Astra had returned from putting on the finishing touches on her veil. Astra had promptly shooed Noctis out before Procella could utter a word. She is sure that whatever the other woman would have said, would have been scolding. As standoffish and distant as Procella could be, she was rather motherly at times. Like right now, as she gave her a critical once over before pushing back a stray strand of hair into the neat bun upon her head.

"Time to dress you," says Astra excitedly.

Then she is standing upon a platform and is told to suck in here and hold her arms out there. Her corset is stiff and binding and she worries about breathing too deeply as Procella and Astra work together to tie the laces across her back. Her dress is next as they instruct her to step into the skirts so they can slide it up her waist and up to her chest to connect to her corset. Astra holds the fabric in place as Procella swiftly sews it all together. Mindful not to smudge her make up, she bends her head so they can carefully place her veil safely upon her head. Then waits as both women step back to see their work.

"Stella," says Astra as she wipes a few tears from her eyes. "You look absolutely stunning."

"Beautiful," agrees Procella as she nods at her.

Slowly, she turns around to observe herself in the three way mirror and almost bursts into tears herself.

"Careful now!" warns Procella. "It is waterproof eye make up but not powder!"

It makes her laugh and it causes the tears to escape her eyes.

"Handkerchief!" cries Astra, but it looks as if she needs it more than her.

It makes her laugh again as she wipes her eyes with her hand. Astra rushes over and dabs her eyes with the handkerchief that Fulgur and Des went through all the trouble of getting for her and she wants to cry for that too. The three friends look at each other for a moment before Procella speaks.

"Noctis is waiting," she says. "We need to get you to the altar before he comes looking for you."

She nods as she tries to compose herself. It would not do to ruin her make up before the ceremony. Lifting her skirts, she steps off the platform and they help her as she makes her way down to the limo that is waiting for her. As she walks down the spiral staircase, the servants line the halls in a procession to see her off. They all bow in turn as she passes them on her descent and she smiles at each of them. The last servant she passes, offers her, her bouquet and she accepts it gratefully before entering the limo.

The distance to the lawn where they were going to have their ceremony was short, but it seemed a lifetime away for her as they slowly made their way towards it. She had wanted an outdoor wedding in the late afternoon. The sun setting would be their backdrop as they made their vows. It would symbolize how the both of them thrived best at night. White silk banners would surround them overhead and moon flowers would come into bloom as the ceremony was carried out. It would end with their reception in an open tent with twinkling lights to complement the natural brightness of the moon and stars. The images of all this had come to her later that night when he had asked her to marry him. She just could not see them getting married inside. It had to be out in the open where it was free and boundless. Not a place with walls and barriers. For it would be much like how they were now, with no restrictions between them.

_Stella._

_I am coming._

The streets are filled to capacity, which makes her trip that much longer. The people have to be moved bodily to make room as her car passes. They have littered the streets to catch a glimpse of her and this momentous event. There were so many that she could not see Noctis as they neared the park. But she could feel him. She knows she will always feel him. That he would always be there, with her. The car finally comes to a stop and Procella gently pulls her veil over her face while Astra gets out of the limo to help her out. The hand that reaches in for hers is not Astra's as she grasps it. It helps her out while other hands grab her skirts so that she does not step on them. She looks up to see the smiling faces of Noctis' brothers and knows she is already smiling back.

"Beautiful Stella," says Sapien as everyone helps to arrange her. The crowd around them begins to clap vigorously as they see her and she smiles brightly for them. She still cannot see Noctis but knows that he is already waiting for her at the end of that white carpet.

"Lovely," says Vires.

"Beaut," comments Des and the music begins to play.

It is finally time.

"Let's do this," she says and they all nod at her before taking their turns walking down the aisle as she waits behind.

The men all walk down while Procella and Astra adjust her skirts and veil. The music changes and she knows that it is finally time to walk towards her intended.

At last.

It is as if she is floating. Everyone stands as she approaches the end of the aisle, to see her walk down the aisle proudly towards her husband. Her hands are trembling but they remain clutched around her bouquet of white lilies and moon flowers. Trembling not from fear, but from the anticipation of finally be united with him forever. She is almost afraid that she will stumble in her eagerness to get to him quickly. That is when she sees him. He is standing there, looking tall and proud. Her Noctis and he is all that she can see after that. He is all that she can focus on as she walks closer and closer to him. His fingers look like they inch to reach out to her but he remains perfectly still as his eyes stare intently into hers. She knows that she will never get used to how intense he always looked at her, but she could definitely get used to how it made her feel. Wanted, desired and appreciated in a way that she would never have imagined anyone would feel about her. It was a look that she hoped that he could see on her own face because she felt as equally enraptured with him as he was to her.

Finally, she is just steps away from finally reaching him when he offers his hand out for hers. Staring into his face, she gives him a watery smile as she places her hand trustingly into his. They take a moment just to stare at each other. Each silently giving thanks that this was finally going to happen. Then he escorts her the rest of the way to the altar so that they can both stand before the magistrate. Their binding finally begins. She does not think she will remember the exact words that are said. All she can hear are the thoughts that she is hearing from him and the thoughts that she responds with as they stand there before everyone with their eyes only on the other. He is clutching her hand as if he were afraid that she would be fly away from him if he let go, but she will never let go. He does not seem to listen to the words either as his eyes do not leave hers.

"There are vows to be uttered and only those from the heart can be remembered," says the magistrate then as everything else around them seems to finally focus. "King Noctis, will you state yours?"

Noctis nods but he does not take his eyes away from hers. She watches as he takes a breath and she realizes that she is holding hers as he begins to speak.

"I am known as the living embodiment of the night. The very darkness itself whose only light is the moon and stars. Yet my love for thee shall not be compared to such as the inconstant moon, whose shape changes with the cycles. Nor shall it be as the foliage in the woods, which time will alter and destroy. My love for you shall be as the eternal rocks beneath, that shall never know age nor death nor change. For love is not love which alters when it alteration finds. Or bends with the remover to remove. Oh no," he says with a shake of his head. "It is an ever fixed mark. That looks on tempests and is never shaken, never broken. Love alters not with life's brief hours and weeks, but bears it out even to the edge of doom. An edge we have seen and conquered. Now there is only me and you are to me more precious than the Crystals that we bear. If you would bind yourself to me, I would live just for you. Through life, through death and anything beyond. For to you now I vow my life, my heart and everything else that is mine."

It is not until he reaches out and gently brushes the tears away from her face through her veil does she realize they are running freely from her eyes. She cannot even speak from the impact of his words on her heart. All she wants to do is fly into his arms and melt herself into him. Her heart is too full and her voice too choked for her to speak.

"Queen Stella?" asks the magistrate.

Clearly her throat and getting a hold of herself, she sniffs and dabs at her eyes. "Yes," she says before she takes a deep, cleansing breath and prepares to speak her vow.

"My Dark King. My knight. My heart. You and I together, through life's short days, leaves no worry. For I know that all is well as long as you are with me. Nothing, no one shall get in the way of what I feel for you. When the thunder of danger and the rains of opposition were rife and my heart was urgent, you always found me. You always pulled me through. Not marble nor the gilded monuments shall outlive this love of mine. For such time do I now fortify, against confounding Age's cruel knife. That He shall never cut from memory, my sweet love's beauty though your life and mine shall pass. Your beauty shall in these lines be seen. They shall live on and you in them still green. So thrust me not from your side. Let me stay with you always. For with you is where I belong and only there can I truly be. This I vow. That from this day and beyond the pain of death, I shall remain by your side."

She laughs softly with tears down her cheeks as she watches the look of pleasure on his face at her words. It is her turn to touch his face and he turns his cheek to press his lips against her palm as his hands hold it there. She feels his other hand at her waist, drawing her closer to him. He leans his forehead against hers as the magistrate finishes their binding.

"You may kiss your bride," they hear out of the haze of their bliss.

She watches the smirk on his lips as he slowly, carefully lifts the veil from her face and places it behind her head. His red eyes are moist as he clasps her face gently within his two hands.

_And no one and nothing shall part us, _he sends to her ashe leans in the remaining distance and touches his lips to hers. It is a deep, lingering kiss with closed lips that leaves her knees weak and her heart racing. It is the final sealing of his life to hers and she is almost faint from how profound the meaning is. As he leans back, he kisses her lightly once more before pulling back to stare down at her face.

"May I present to you, King Noctis Lucis Caelum and Queen Stella Nox Caelum of Nihilsomno."

The crowd's cheers are deafening as above them, glittering confetti explodes to rain down upon them. She feels Noctis' hand entwine with hers as they both turn to regard the multitude of observers behind them. It is a vast sea of cheering faces. Some are dear, some are not so dear and some are new and she feels as if for this one moment, they are all connected in their happiness of her union with the incredible man beside her. She can see Astra blowing into her tissue, leaning against Fulgur for support. She sees Sapien and Vires clapping and nodding their heads at her in approval. She can see Des as he sobs openly into his shirt with Mira patting him on the back. There is Procella, who is as regal as ever as she claps along with everyone else and gives her an encouraging smile. She sees the rest of the Crystal Bearers and nods at each one of their smiling faces. There is a gentle tug on her hand for her attention before Noctis begins to lead her back down the aisle. Together they run along the long path with sparkling bits of confetti still floating around them and the clapping does not stop. To the streets they go to face the people that are standing there. With hands clasped, they bow to their subjects in respect before she kisses her hand and blows it in their direction. The cheering raises in pitch.

Noctis leads her towards an open convertible as Procella and Astra help her with her voluminous skirts to start the procession. They make sure she looks perfect before they close the car door and they are off. The ride around the city was so unlike the one she had taken the night of Noctis' coronation. She had been riding behind him then. Now, she would always ride by his side. Their hands do not part as they wave to their public. Flowers are thrown towards their car. Pedals are spread along the road in reverence of their union. She feels a squeeze of her hand and looks up at her husband with a beaming smile. He leans down to press his lips against her forehead and she responds in kind by kissing his nose. The crowd rejoices all around them.

By the end of their parade, the car is full to the brim with bouquets of flowers. So many that they fall out once the doors open again for their exits. Before she can worry about her dress, Noctis lifts her in his arms, skirts and all to carry her to the sidewalk and sets her safely on the pavement.

Thunderous applause greets them as they enter the reception tent and they make their way quickly to the head table to let the banquet begin. Noctis helps her into her chair and is just getting into his when the loud beats of a marching song sounds and the doors fly open as servants carrying covered serving trays upon their shoulders make their way inside. Their steps are in tune with the beat of the song until two had reached each table. The music ends as they raise their lids to uncover ravishing dishes with a dramatic flourish before all bowing to Noctis and herself. She laughs in delight as they join in applauding the food and the meal has begun. The tent is soon filled with the clattering of many plates and the noise of dinner conversation. It was time to relax and enjoy but as appetizing as the intricately decorated dishes appear, she is too overwhelmed to eat much of them. She can hardly believe that they had finally done it. Joined in a union that only they can share. It was like having a secret that everyone knew they had but could not ask them about. It was too enthralling to even think of eating. All she wanted was that this night should never end.

The reception program had not been something that she had focused on when arranging the wedding. She had left that detail for Noctis, but what came next was not part of the program she and Noctis had gone over the day before. They had just finished their entrees when Des appears in spotlight with an exaggerated wig made in the likeness of Noctis' own impossible midnight hair. He had even dressed as Noctis with black leather and boots. It was just that the clothes were about two sizes too big for his thin frame, leaving them to hang awkwardly. She covers her face with her napkin to hide the peels of laughter at his impersonation of his friend while Noctis smiles behind his hand.

"Hello all," says Des with his trademark grin. "I am your MC for tonight."

So pass the rest of the night and Des has several costume changes. She thinks her favorite was when he decided to dress like Procella. She does not think she has ever heard Noctis laugh so loud before when he saw what Des had looked like. Which had grown louder when Sapien dryly comments that Des looks better in drag. The three other friends laugh together until there are tears in their eyes as they cheer for Des. When it comes time for them to cut the cake, she makes sure to feed Noctis a big enough piece that she smudges it all over his nose. He pays her back by rubbing his nose against her cheek which makes her accidentally get cake all over his chin as she tries to get away from him.

They dance too, more than once. Their first dance is alone and slow. It reminds her of their dance at his coronation with the haunting vibrations of the erhu playing the same song as then. They dance with others too. She ends up dancing with Des as Procella, which has her laughing so hard she can hardly breathe. Especially when his long blond wig snags on someone's sequins and is pulled well above his hairline. She spends the rest of the dance helping him adjust it in the middle of the dance floor as tears of laughter pool at the corners of her eyes.

Then the night was finally drawing to a close and they were being rushed into an airship. She gives rushed hugs and kisses to Astra and Procella and Mira. She gives hugs to the brothers that had become her own. Des is crying shamelessly again, this time dressed as Sol. She gives him a special smile as she makes sure to kiss his cheek before letting Noctis usher her away. They stand upon the ledge of the airship to wave their good byes to everyone as they depart for their honeymoon. They spend the entire ride watching the stars with his arms around her, happy in the knowledge that they have the next two weeks to be alone, together. Together in the only place that he has ever truly been happy until the day his parents had been killed there. She had been determined to fill it with new, wondrous memories to blot out the pain it caused him now.

Their bags had already gone ahead and were waiting for them inside, already unpacked. So once the airship safely dispatches them in front of the country villa, it departs quickly, leaving them completely alone for the first time. Having been around so many people all day, it was so calming to be just the two of them. There was no noise, just the vast stillness as they stood hand in hand, surveying the house where they would be starting their life together. Then they had turned to each other at the same time and smile.

In the blink of an eye, Noctis snatches her up and carries her across the threshold to welcome his bride to his childhood home. Kicking the door closed behind them, he sets her down and watches as she walks around the lower floor to get her bearings. She loves it. Loves it not for the décor but for what it meant and what it will mean to them both. She does not linger though. All she wants right now is to be with him, to be with her husband. He knows before she needs to tell him and he's swiftly carrying her up the stairs and into the master bedroom.

Candles are lit and rose pedals are spread across the white satin sheets of the bed. But they take no note of these things as he swings her around the room with a joyful cry. He sets her back down on her feet and begins to lead her into a dance to music only they can share.

"Have you ever wished for an endless night?" she asks him as she rests her head against his chest.

The sound of his firm heartbeat against her ear is comforting and she does not have to look at his face to know that he understands what she means.

"I want to lasso the moon and the stars and pull that rope tight," she says, raising her face to look into his.

He hums his agreement and lowers his face to teasingly rub his nose against hers.

"I feel like holding my breathe to keep it inside," she breathes as his lips brush against hers. "Will it ever get better than tonight?"

A smile crosses his lips as he runs his hand through her hair.

"Yes," he answers with a nod and leans in to kiss her once again. "It will only get better after tonight."

* * *

End Note: This is also an emotional chapter because it is the last official chapter for The Eclipse Series. The next will be the Epilogue and then this entire journey will be completed.

Oh and I quoted from many things for the vows. Shakespeare's Love Sonnets, Romeo and Juliet, one line from Emily Bronte's Wuthering Heights (the only line I liked in the entire story) and Alicia Keys' No One. The last couple lines are from P!nk's Glitter in the Air.


	24. Porro

A/N: This came out much longer than I had anticipated, but there was a certain pace that couldn't be rushed and it turned into another monster. I want to thank everyone who has been following this series. It's been a long journey and I'm very sad to say good bye to it. I'm not sure how everyone is going to react to this, but I hope you enjoy figuring it out as you go along.

Porro is Latin for "forward, further".

_**Epilogue: Porro**_

_Day and Night combine to create the Eclipse of a new era. A new world has begun._

So read the lines that they had been able to translate within the first few months of the recovery efforts of the ancient texts. They had been able to uncover many of things since then, but those two lines always stuck with her somehow. Most thought they applied to Noctis and Stella. She wasn't one of them. Stella was the shining light within Noctis' night. She had never been a creature of the day, but a being of the night. So she does not think that applied to Stella. Others thought that this was the friendship of Noctis and Sol. It suited better, she supposes, but the two men were not the best of friends. They didn't fight nearly as much as they used to and they were close, but nothing so spectacular as to bring about a new world or a new era. So that couldn't have been it either.

Noctis once said told them about that eventful week that he had finally risen to power. Of how his Crystal, the Final Crystal, had died by the end of that journey. Then his new one had arisen within him. He said that he had felt it when each of their Crystals had activated for the first time. That he was personally linked to each of them in such a way had been exciting to hear. He said that the sun had been rising when this happened. The golden rays of the sun began to stretch across the barren land just outside Nihilsomno and he had felt like the words said. Night had fallen and Day was approaching. A new era had begun after that. They had all joined together and set up a new order. It had made sense to her a little. Then there had been the Eclipse that had finally united them fully so that they could banish Etro into slumber. It could have applied then too, but she doesn't feel like a new _world_ had begun.

It must be something yet to come, she thinks. It must be, because she thinks that those words apply to certain people and she has not seen anyone that would fit that. She looks forward to the day that she will, so she would be able to see the results of these hopeful lines. She has a sneaking suspicion she knows what it means already. She just wasn't going to tell anyone for fear of getting anyone's hopes up. The world they had redesigned was coming along, but not quite there yet. There were still many dangers lurking around and plenty of enemies that would love to see the collapse of the Crystal Bearers. There had been battles and there had been rebellions. She is sure that they will rise again and she did not have to have special powers to see that.

Despite what any rumor may say, her gift had never been the telling of the future. True, there had been numerous times that she had seen things as they would turn out, but to her, those things had been obvious. Her gift had always been a keen understanding of how things worked and how things would work out. That and along with protection. Her gifts were not very good when forced to do battle but it was definitely useful to those that could do the actual fighting.

The years had been full of many changes and many new developments. New and exciting things that had often called for the reuniting of the Crystal Bearers. She loves these times when they are all together again. It was always so much fun when they were around each other. Being around the people that had become her family made her feel at home. The feeling was the same no matter where they were, just so long as they were all together. It also gave her chances to see _him_.

A year after Noctis and Stella got married, she received the announcement that Astra would be marrying Fulgur. The year after that Grando married a lady from his court. Ten months after that, they were back to see Grando's first child. It had not really been a surprise, but she had see the longing in Stella's eyes when she looked at the bubbling baby girl with Grando's eyes. Astra gave birth to a girl five months later. She doesn't think she's ever seen Fulgur look that terrified before. He was usually so good at being detached. So of course he was his daughter's favorite person. There had been other events that the Crystal Bearers had attended together through the years, but she did not always get to see him there. She hasn't seen him in a long time now.

She'd just been a little girl when they had first met. Or still too much of one for him to notice in that way at the time. Not that she had thought of him that way at first either. There had been so many people that had fascinated her equally those early years. There had always been something about him though. Different in a way that had her always keeping an eye out for him, even when she did not feel as she does now. Eventually he had just fascinated her in a way that only someone that you fancied could. It was definitely a kind of hero worship at first. He was older, more knowledgeable, often overlooked but always counted on. Much like she was. Then it had deepened two years ago. That had also been the last time that she saw him.

It was little over five years after Stella's wedding when the announcement finally came. The announcement that she and Noctis were finally expecting their first child. The news quickly spread and became a worldwide phenomenon. Nobody would talk of anything else for the next five months. They even got a letter from Des, asking Vitrum if he wanted to join in a pool they had going on, whether it was a boy or a girl. At her suggestion, Vitrum had placed his money on a boy since the odds were so high against it. It was rumored that the Crystal Bearers were all cursed to only have daughters and not sons. Which she thought was absolutely idiotic. Okay so maybe there only had been girls born to the Crystal Bearers but a curse had nothing to do with it. No matter how baseless though, the rumor never went away. It was talked of frequently on the tabloids with bold, flashy letters to keep it on everyone's minds.

When she found out that because of this, the public began to put a heavy amount of pressure on Stella to give their country a son, she made up her mind that she was going straight to Nihilsomno. The people of Nihilsomno were the most superstitious of people, so naturally they would be the most effected by the threat of a curse. In turn they had begun to almost demand that tests be taken. Most wanted to make sure that it was a son. It made her worry about Stella, someone who she considered an older sister. Right now was not the time to be plaguing her with demands. At this rate, she could very well lose the child from the sheer amount of stress. She wouldn't let that happen. It had taken five long years for Stella to stay pregnant in the first place, who knows how long it would take her again if she lost it.

It was during her trip over that she realized that going to Nihilsomno meant that she would also see _him_ too. She would be seeing him again after not seeing him for so long. Then she had started to get nervous. Being nervous wasn't going to work when it would make it obvious that she had feelings for him. She had seen girls who were like that. Girls that were shameless in their feelings and she wishes she could be more like that. It just wasn't in her to be. Besides, she didn't want him to know. It would be completely mortifying if he found out and told her he could only see her as a baby sister. Even though, she had grown up, but sometimes that simply didn't matter. Sometimes people did not accept that you had grown up no matter how old you got. The other Crystal Bearers still treated her that way, but from them, she didn't mind it. _He_ was the only one that she would mind being treated like that from.

"And who is this lovely thing?" a familiar voice says behind her. Even after so many years, a grin still appears on her face at the sound.

She turns around quickly and is ready to fly into his arms for a hug when she notices the look on his face. It wasn't that his face looked very different. He did look a bit older. No, it was the unfamiliar look in his eyes.

He didn't recognize her.

"Do you have a name, Doll?" Des asks with a charming grin.

She's never seen him grin quite like that before. She doesn't know whether to be happy about this or not. Yes, she had wanted to prove that she was no longer a little girl but she wanted them to know that it was her!

"You should know my name, Des," she manages to say. She grins at him like she always had or hopes at least it looks that way.

"Are we going to play a name game?" he asks with a teasing tone now.

He's never teased her in _that_ way before.

"You don't recognize me, do you?"

No, she can already tell that he didn't and she's not sure what she's going to do.

"Hello Mira," she hears just behind her before she sees Sapien walk by. He's not even looking at her but looking at something in his handheld. But even with half his attention, he still knew it was her.

She immediately feels deflated.

"Hello Sapien," she answers as she looks back at Des.

"Guh... uh... what?" sputters Des as he stares at her wide eyed.

"Here to give Stella some back up are you?" asks Sapien, ignoring the gawking look that Des is giving her, with a warm and welcoming smile on his face.

"Yes," she answers quietly as her heart begins to race and she looks back hesitantly at Des.

Des starts waggling his finger at her, but he can't quite speak yet.

"You've grown up, Mira," says Sapien as he tilts his head to look at her. His glass covered eyes smile at her as his lips curve. "To become very beautiful, like I knew you would."

"Cutie pie!?" Des finally manages to blurt out.

"What is wrong with you?" asks Sapien, looking at Des with a frown.

"I really should be getting along to see Stella," she says because she feels completely mortified. She steps back from the both of them. "I'll see you both later."

The last word almost comes out like a squeak but she is too busy fighting a blush to think about how her voice had almost spiked. She doesn't miss the words that are spoken as she makes her way down the hall.

"_That_ was Mira?" guffaws Des.

"You idiot," reprimands Sapien in his dry voice. "How could you not tell it was her?"

That is all she hears before she's too far away to hear anymore. That was definitely not how she had pictured seeing him again would be like. She's not sure how she's going to look either one of them in the face. Des had been hitting on her and Sapien had walked in on it! All that had been missing was Vires and who knows how _that_ would have turned out. She needed to see Stella and she needed to see her quickly.

"Mira, honey!" cries Stella in delight as she sees her. She's sitting on a large, plush couch within her rooms. "Look at you!"

"Look at you!" she cries back as she takes a look at her older sister. "Stella, you're absolutely beautiful!"

"Absolutely humungous you mean," laments Stella as she sits back. "Come here, sweetie and give me a hug!"

She runs into Stella's arms and buries her face on her shoulder. She almost wants to cry from how worried she's been over her.

"Do not listen to Noctis," says Stella as she pulls away to look at her face. "I am not fragile just because I am a walking incubator."

"Oh but you are fragile," she protests. "We can't let anything happen to you."

"Nothing will happen to me," is the firm reply. "Just because I am as big as a house does not mean I move like one."

Her wine colored eyes look down at Stella's stomach and almost cries again. To know that Noctis and Stella would soon be having a child made her feel so happy inside.

"He just wants to see you safe," she answers. "But you're right. He shouldn't be so protective."

Stella sighs sadly. "He is worried because of what happened the last time."

"Don't think about that. You weren't even in a full term then."

"I had not been able to conceive again until now," answers Stella mournfully.

"This baby is coming and it is going to be healthy," she answers firmly. "I know it will."

"I know it will too," agrees Stella. "It is already like Noctis. Stubborn, strong and straining."

She giggles at the description.

"Does it kick very hard?"

"It makes me wonder if Noctis was this impatient to be born," answers Stella as she smiles down at her belly. Her hands gently run over the surface. "He is more active when he hears his father's voice."

"It's a boy?" she cries excitedly.

"I think so," says Stella with a nod. "I just have to be careful not to say that to Noctis. He is already so afraid it will not like him."

"Fulgur didn't have a problem, neither should Noctis," she chuckles.

Stella giggles too.

"I know he is a boy. I just know it," says Stella as she looks down at her stomach again. "And he is just like Noctis."

"How do you know for sure?" she asks curiously.

"I have always known that our first child would be a son," says Stella. "I have known it like I knew that Noctis was the man I wanted when I first heard his name."

That was better intuition that she had and she knew hers was pretty good.

Stella sighs again sadly. "I pictured them."

"Them? More than one?"

Stella smiles at her. "Noctis said the same thing when I told him. Yes, them."

"How many?"

"Two," Stella answers. Her eyes have that far away look one gets when they're imagining something.

"Then it will be so," she answers firmly. "It has to be."

Stella's eyes focus to smile at her again. "I knew you would understand, Mira. Other than Noctis, you are the only one that would not tell me that I was merely dreaming."

"I'm sorry you're stuck with me," she apologizes. "I'm sure Astra or Procella would be better."

"Oh hush, I am so glad that you are here," says Stella, grabbing hold of her hand. "Besides, you must tell me. It has been so long since I have seen you. Your hair, your eyes! Sweetie you are stunning."

She blushes at the compliment. "Only you would think so."

"I love what you have done with your hair," says Stella, reaching out to feel the length of it. "It has grown so long and looks feathered out a little."

"It was getting heavy," she explains.

"Your eyes have deepened too," Stella says as she leans in to peer into her eyes. "You will stun him for sure."

"Who?" she asks, almost afraid of what Stella will say.

"Why Des of course," answers Stella.

"I have seen Des," she says evenly.

"Oh?" asks Stella with excitement in her eyes.

"He didn't recognize me," she mumbles.

"What do you mean he did not recognize you?" Stella all but squeaks in indignation. "That loveable idiot. Oh honey."

"He did flirt with me," she adds.

"What happened?"

"Sapien interrupted," she says and she knows she's turned a shade of red.

"He did not recognize you either?"

"No, Sapien knew it was me right away," she answers.

"What did Des say?"

"He kind of sputtered a bit," she explains and it embarrasses her almost as much as it did when it happened. "Don't get so upset with him, Stella. Please."

There's a knock at the door and she's glad for the distraction. Stella looked as if she had been getting a little too upset about this.

"Stella? Are you all right?" asks Noctis as he comes walking into the room. "Mira?"

She smiles at him as he stands to greet him.

"Hello Noctis!" she cries, excited to see the one person that could calm Stella down.

He smiles a genuine smile at her before looking at his wife.

"What is the matter?"

"I have upset her," she worries.

"No, Mira," sighs Stella as she smiles up at her husband. "I upset very easily these days. My poor Lord has been forced to run in here every now and then to see that I have not hurt myself."

"She has been a fighter," Noctis comments with a teasing smile at Stella. She watches as he walks over to kiss Stella gently on the forehead.

She can feel the tension in Stella subside and marvels at it. It must be so wonderful to be that way with someone.

"Has Mira not turned out to be a stunning lady?" Stella asks Noctis and they both turn to look at her.

"You have grown up to be a pretty woman," agrees Noctis with a kind smile.

Hearing Noctis say this, she can only feel the brotherly affection it was meant to sound like. It was even in the way that he was looking at her. There was only sibling adoration in his red eyes. From him, she doesn't mind to see it or hear it that way. Noctis was a brother and almost a sort of father sometimes, like Stella was an older sister almost mother. She loves them in a similar way. But she does mind it when it is being said along with sputters from Des. How was she going to face Des and Sapien again? She can already feel the blush of mortification just thinking about it.

"You both are too good to me," she says in response.

"Have you see the rest of the guys?" asks Noctis.

_Oh dear, did everyone already know?_

"I saw Des and Sapien earlier," she replies.

"It has been a long time since they have seen Mira," says Stella.

"When I just turned eighteen," she answers. It was when she had contracted a mysterious fever. They had all assembled to find her a cure. They being Noctis, Stella, Sapien, Des and Vires. Her fever had gotten so high that she had, had to cut her hair to almost around her ears. It was while she was so sick that she realized how deeply she felt about _him_. Everyone had been there when she had recovered, but Stella and Noctis, along with his brothers had been the ones to find the cure. She is sure that they're all thinking about it now. To them it might have been nothing on their part to save her life, but to her it had meant everything. That they were people that would never act as if she owed them a debt of gratitude made her feel it even more so.

"How old are you now?" asks Noctis with that same brotherly smile.

"Twenty."

"Des was right," Noctis says to Stella. "She did grow to be a heartbreaker."

_Des had said that? When?_

"Des did not recognize her," Stella tells Noctis and she looks irritated and almost embarrassed at the same time.

Noctis' red eyes frown as he looks at Stella in disbelief.

Stella nods at his silent question and they both turn to look at her together.

"That thoughtless idiot," sighs Noctis with a shake of his head, because he knows right away, what must have happened. She can tell that he does not laugh for her sake and she loves him even more for it. "You are going to have to excuse him. You know how he can be."

"I know," she says, because she did. "I had better get back to my rooms. I rushed over to see Stella before I could unpack."

"Oh! You darling," cries Stella. "You did not have to be in that much of a rush. You need your rest after your long journey here. I will see you after you refresh up."

Both she and Noctis smile at her before Noctis stands to walk her to the door. It gives her a moment to tell him what she knew he needed to hear.

"You don't have to worry about Stella, Noctis," she whispers to him so that Stella does not hear.

"To lose the child is one thing, but to lose Stella…"

"You won't lose either," she promises him.

He manages a wane smile but she can tell that he's taken a little bit of comfort at her words. She pats him on the shoulder before she walks through the door. It's a relief to tell him that. She knows he more than Stella is aware of the things being said and he gets the brunt of the pressure. Having a child should be a happy event, not something to cause needless worry. It shouldn't matter whether it was a boy or a girl. Either one would be a blessing to two people who wanted children as much as they did. The nerve of people. How dar…

"Omph!" the breath gets knocked out of her as she collides with another body. Two hands grab hold of her shoulders to steady her.

"So sorry, Mira," says Sapien. "Didn't see you."

She already knew why he hadn't. The reason was lying on the carpet at their feet.

"I should have been paying attention too," she says as she watches him kneel down to pick up his ever present handheld. "Are you on your way to see Noctis?"

"Yes, have you seen him?"

"He's with Stella."

"Oh," he says with a knowing sigh. Then he looks down at her. "Where are you off to in such a huff?"

"To my rooms," she says. "I have to unpack."

"Mind if I walk you to your rooms?"

"Of course not," she says, but inside she wants to refuse. All she can think about is him catching Des trying to make a pass at her and she knew what was going to come next.

They begin to walk when his handheld beeps, signaling an incoming message. There is never a time that he does not get a message on that thing. So it surprises her when he pushes the ignore button and puts it into his pocket. The silence that follows is even more painful than if he had started teasing her. Maybe he was waiting for the right leeway.

"You don't have to hold back, you know," she says to try and get it out of him sooner. The sooner it was done with, the sooner she could put it behind her.

"Hold what back?" he asks curiously.

"I know you're going to tease me about what happened with Des."

"Oh that," he responds with that same dry voice that he always used. "I might be saving that for a rainy day."

Of course he would. Sapien was never a big teaser, but he did have his moments and he wouldn't pass this moment.

"That will be one for the books," he comments with a smirk, but he isn't looking at her when he says it. "Dummy never did learn to stop and think before speaking."

But it was what everyone loved about him. His brash statements that were completely inappropriate.

"I didn't mean to surprise him so badly," she says in a small voice.

"He shouldn't have been surprised to begin with," he replies and she can't tell whether he's annoyed or amused.

They reach her doors at last. As much as she should have enjoyed her time with Sapien, she's too mortified to.

"I'm sure you'll get used to it," he says looking down at her with a smile.

"Get used to it?" she asks.

"If Des didn't recognize you, I'm sure Sol won't either," he explains and she can't tell if he's teasing her or not.

What if Sol didn't recognize her either? Sol and Des were the worst flirts she had ever met. Des was at least endearing, Sol would be…

"You don't like the idea?" he asks, breaking her out of her panic. It sounds like more of a statement rather than a question. He's looking at her the same way he had before. Not brotherly and not romantically. Just looking at her, carefully.

"I like Sol very much," she says and then she hesitates because she doesn't remember what she was going to say after that.

"He isn't all that bad," he replies. She's sure he thinks he's being helpful.

She looks up at him skeptically. Which makes him laugh softly in response.

"There you are, Mira," he says smiling.

"What do you mean?"

"You haven't given me that look in a long time," he tells her.

"What look?"

"Open skepticism when there is no convincing you," he answers with a smile. "I thought the look was gone forever."

The statement makes her blink her eyes dumbly as she tries to figure out what he means.

"It's good to know that not all of you has changed," he says with that same smile.

"But I _have_ changed," she says and she tries her best not to make it sound like a whine.

"Not where it matters," he says and he gives her that careful look again. "You're older now. I'm going to have to get to know you all over again."

She doesn't know how to respond to that. She wonders if she did change on the inside too.

"Well, I've seen you to your room," he says, reaching into his pocket to bring out his handheld. She's stunned to realize that he had silenced the thing during their walk. She watches as he pauses to read a few messages quickly. "Noct's had enough time with Stella. There are things that I need to talk to him about."

She nods at him. Sapien was always the busiest of the three.

"I'll see you later, Mira," he says with another smile.

"Bye, Sapien," she says, slowly. She watches as he starts to go back the way they had just come.

"And don't worry about Des," he says, pausing to look at her over his shoulder. "I'm sure he'll come around."

Was everyone helping her get with Des? How embarrassing. She rushes into her rooms and leans against the door once it has closed. This was definitely not how she had seen things happening.

She doesn't see anyone else until it's time for dinner. There's a knock at her door and she rushes over in hopes that it's Des, but isn't disappointed when she finds Vires standing on the other side of the door. His kind brotherly face beams proudly down at her as he virtually lifts her into a bear hug in greeting. He apologizes for not welcoming her sooner, but he'd been busy outside the city all day. They talk all the way down to the hall and she temporarily forgets to be nervous. That is, until they reach the doors leaning into dinner.

"What's the matter, Little One?" asks Vires.

"Just being silly," she says, shaking her head at herself.

"You were never the silly sort," he replies, looking at her.

"You didn't talk to anyone did you?" she asks hesitantly.

"About what?"

He has a genuinely clueless look on his face that puts her at ease. At least he didn't know yet. "Oh, nothing," she rushes out. "Let's get to dinner."

He gives her another worried look before giving her arm a comforting squeeze. It does make her feel better and she smiles appreciatively at him. He pushes the door open for her and she walks into the room.

She's not sure if she's saved or not when she realizes that Des and Sapien are not at dinner. One of the messages he had ignored while he was walking with her had been a request for his presence somewhere and Des had gone with him. Noctis hadn't been sure how long they were going to take but they would definitely not be coming back in time for dinner. She does enjoy the evening after that. She and Stella do most of the talking while Noctis and Vires mostly listen. It had been a pleasant meal that made her feel comfortable in a way that she hadn't felt comfortable in a long time. Back home, most nights she had to eat alone because her schedule and Vitrum's schedule were so conflicting. He had even less time now that he had begun to pursue a mysterious lady. Mysterious because he refused to tell her who it was. It wouldn't be long before he told her he was going to be married. She's already mentally prepared herself for that.

Dinner passes and she spends the rest of her evening with Stella, while Noctis has to see to a few things. She's grateful when Stella doesn't mention boys at all or asks. Instead she insists that Stella show her the nursery and the gifts that they had already gotten as congratulations. To say that they had received a lot of gifts would have been understating it. They had needed a separate room just to house all the well wishes they had received from around the world. Not just from other kingdoms, but from the public. It made her sad and a little bit angry that they had all gotten her things that were pink. The child hasn't even been born yet. They could have settled for more neutral tones. Strangely, Stella doesn't seem to mind this. She's already had the gifts separated by color in each part of the room and seemed thankful for all of them.

"It doesn't really matter about what colors are in the nursery, Mira," Stella tells her.

"Why?" she thinks Noctis may not want pink in his son's room.

"I don't plan on using it that much at first and by the time we do, he wouldn't be able to fit anything anyway," answers Stella.

"Where will the baby go then?"

"He's going to be with us, in our room," answers Stella. "These rooms are too far away and I don't want to ever miss his cries."

That makes her smile. Stella was too nurturing to ever be kept from her child. Noctis was fiercely protective and suspicious so he wouldn't have wanted their child out of his sight either.

"What are you going to do with all the baby girl stuff?"

Stella merely smiles a secret smile before saying, "I am going to save it."

She'd gone back to her rooms shortly after that. The events of the day were starting to wear her out. She just hoped that she'll be able to sleep because her mind began to replay the entire day over and over again now that she was alone. That first night, she had fallen asleep thinking about Des' stunned surprise, Stella's happiness, Noctis' worry, Vires' kindness and Sapien's words.

Whatever thing Sapien and Des had, had to oversee had been longer than they had anticipated. They didn't come back that night and they didn't come back the following day either. Noctis received word that they probably would be away for a week. A week without seeing _him_. She'd gone two years without seeing him, maybe a week wouldn't be so bad. Seven days were a small portion to the almost seven hundred and thirty that she hadn't. But at least at home, she had other things to keep her preoccupied. She had her duties that kept her busy, but with her being in Nihilsomno with only Stella for real company, the hours seemed like days and a day seemed like a year. Noctis didn't have the time to spend with her and Vires tried his best but he was busy with his duties too. So besides the occasional favor that Stella had asked of her, she had a lot of time to think over that first day. She should have been more witty. She should have taken the opportunity to be more attractive in the short amount of time that he had been there. Instead she had just… done nothing.

The week had finally finished and she had been all but ready to fly at them once they returned. She tried not to show just how excited she was. Tried not to show just how much she had been counting down the hours until it would be the day he would return.

"There you are!" she hears cried from somewhere near the entrance. She had been outside in the garden, putting together a bouquet to cheer up Stella, since she had worn herself out earlier in the morning with her duties as Queen. The sound of the voice almost causes her to drop the flowers she had already been holding. "Oh hey there now. Didn't mean to startle you."

"Des, you're back!" she cries, despite herself.

"It really is you, Cutie pie," Des marvels as he stands close to take a long look at her. The hesitation and surprise were gone from his face and she was so happy to see his usual mischievous grin instead.

"Tried to tell you," she says almost shyly.

"I thought you were being coy," Des says with a hearty laugh. "I've been waiting this whole long week to get here fast enough to tell you how much of a dolt I was."

"You don't have to," she answers quickly. "I already know you're a dolt."

"HA!" Des cries out in a laugh. "I'm going to have to call you something else now cause 'Cutie Pie' isn't going to cut it."

"Well, while you think about it, can you help me pick some flowers for Stella?" she asks, turning around to continue her search.

"Wouldn't know a thing about flowers, honey," Des responds with a shrug. "How about I keep a watch for any unsavory men ready to snatch you away?"

"You'd be one of them," growls Vires within the doorway.

She fights the laugh as Des sputters. While they spend the next few minutes insulting each other, she picks the rest of the flowers for Stella. When they are still fighting, she grabs Vires' arm and starts to lead him away from Des.

"Hey!" Des protests as he walks on the other side of her. "How come he gets to have you on his arm?"

"So I don't smack you over the head with it," growls Vires.

"Take your best shot Grumpy Pants!" challenges Des.

She tightens her hold on Vires' suddenly tense arm and the three of them start to walk back inside.

"Don't you even feel guilty?" asks Vires.

"For what?" asks Des.

"Leaving Sapien to hurry back," answers Vires.

"What?" she asks looking at Des. He'd left Sapien to hurry and see her?

"Sapien said I could come back on time," Des says in defense. "I didn't abandon him or anything."

"If there was still work to be done, you should have stayed with him," says Vires.

"The work was done," says Des.

"Then why didn't he come back with you?" she asks curiously.

"Can't understand the brainiac sometimes," Des says with a shrug. "Stell's gonna pop any day now and we all have to be here to make sure Noct doesn't blow up the city in his panic when she does."

Stella appreciated the flowers. The look that brightened up her face when she saw them had Mira vowing she would bring her flowers every day that she could not go outside herself, until the child was born. The next two days, went by quicker than the previous week. She spent her time with Stella until the afternoons when Stella began to take her nap. Stella who had never taken naps before she was pregnant was exasperated that she needed them now. She had Mira giggling behind her hand as she grumbled about being confined and forced to waste time sleeping.

During Stella's afternoon naps, Des would keep her company. Today he had convinced her to walk around the city with him instead of staying within the castle walls. The idea of being outside with Des had her so excited it didn't really take much convincing. She had even made sure to dress up a little in a nice summer dress so that she could enjoy the soft summer breeze as they walked.

"Gorgeous pie, doesn't sound very good does it?" Des had asked when he took a look at her.

She'd answered with a laugh and a shake of her head.

Walking the streets of Nihilsomno, you could feel the life within the city. It was hard to describe. The city had a vibe to it that just energized you. People seemed to walk tirelessly through the streets and there was a never ending supply of sights for you to focus on. During all her visits here, she still doesn't think she's seen all of it and she knows that she never will. Even in the areas that she had been before, there was always something new to be seen. It was a city of endless fascination and she always looked forward to coming here.

Des bought them ice cream and nearly dropped his second scoop a second later. He had her in fits as he tried to save it from falling to the floor. She almost dropped her own when he gave a shout of triumph when he managed to save it from toppling to the ground. Looking at him, she smiled at how he had never changed. How even as old as he was, he was still a kid at heart. She' never really felt like a kid before. Even when she had been little, she'd never gotten a chance to be carefree like Des always was. It was probably why she loved being with him so much. He brought out the kid in her that she hadn't had a chance to be when she had been just a kid. They were making their way into the main square when Des' phone started to ring.

"Yep?" Des says as he puts the phone to his ear. "Oh! Sorry man! Plain forgot. Huh? I'm with a gorgeous woman. I'm sorry. We'll be right there!" He closes the phone with a sheepish grin.

"We have to go back now?" she asks.

"Sapien's going to have my hide," Des mutters with a scratch of his head.

"Sapien?" she asks in surprise. "He's here?"

"Hm? Yeah, Sapien's been here since yesterday morning."

"He wasn't at dinner."

"Couldn't make it for some reason," answers Des. He puts his arm around her shoulders to lead her back towards the castle. "Sometimes I think he's married to his computers."

Sapien had been back since yesterday morning. It didn't surprise her that she hadn't seen him. He was sometimes busier than Noctis, but he had never been too busy to at least say hello or come to eat with them. It makes her worry about what was going on. It hurt too. She wouldn't deny that to herself. It hurt that not only did nobody think to mention his return to the city, but it also hurt that she hadn't seen him for a complete day. The castle wasn't that big. She is sure she would have run into him.

Des doesn't take his arm away from her shoulders and she doesn't mind that he has it there anyway. He makes an effort to make her laugh as they walk back to the castle as a way of apologizing for cutting their outing short. It doesn't take much. He's always been able to make her laugh. They're already walking through the main entrance of the castle and his arm is still around her shoulders.

"I really do need to give you a new name, Cutie Pie," says Des as he watches her laugh.

"What are you thinking right now?"

"Heartbreaker," Des answers.

"Why?" she asks with a frown.

"Because you break my heart every time you laugh like that," Des answers, before bumping his forehead against hers with a grin.

She laughs at how ridiculous he sounds and swings a fist at his arm.

"Ouch! You got some arms there," Des cries, feigning serious injury. "Oh hey, Sapien!"

She turns her laughing eyes to where Des is facing to see Sapien watching them quietly from the top of the staircase.

"Should have known you were with Mira," says Sapien as he makes his way down to the foray to join them. "When you said gorgeous woman."

"You should have! What other gorgeous woman would there be?" cries Des as he grins at her.

"If you'd said you were with Mira, I wouldn't have told you to get your lazy behind back here so fast," Sapien says dryly before turning to look at her. "I'm sorry, Mira."

"I don't want to keep anyone from what they're supposed to be doing," she says to reassure him that she didn't mind.

"I finally got a new nickname for her, Sapien," says Des. "Heartbreaker!"

Sapien doesn't laugh but he does smile as he looks down at her. "That sounds like a keeper," he agrees. "Especially when she laughs like she was just now."

"That's what I said!" cries Des as he tightens his arm around her shoulder to bring her face closer to his.

"Well since you did come back, I need you to do what you were supposed to do this morning," Sapien says giving Des a knowing look.

"Heh," Des responds, looking guilty this time. "Yes, going right now." He takes his arm from off her shoulders. "Dear Heartbreaker, I'll be seeing you later." He makes a show of pressing his hand to his heart for her before making his way down the hall.

She watches Des as he makes his way down the hall, as carefree as he always was and can't help the smile that comes to her lips as she does. It's more like a laughing smile because she can't help laughing too. She watches Des until he turns the corner before turning to look at Sapien with her smile that was more of a laugh. He's watching her again. Watching her in that way that he had taken to looking at her. It's neither intense or longing, just observing, carefully. She thinks its the same way he'd study the workings of his handheld or computer.

"Welcome home," she says, still retaining the smile on her face.

He smiles at her in response. "Thank you."

"Don't let me keep you," she says. "I know you're busy too."

"Where are you off to?" he asks.

"Oh, um, I haven't made my daily bouquet for Stella yet," she answers. "I think I'll go to the garden."

She smiles at him again before stepping away to make her way towards the garden and is surprised when she hears him follow her outside.

"What sort of flowers have you been taking to her?" he asks, walking beside her.

"Anything cheerful," she answers. "But not Lavender."

"That was going to be my next question," he smiles.

She looks up at him in surprise. "You know about flowers?"

"Not really," he says with a shake of his head. "But I know that Lavender is not good for pregnant or nursing mothers."

"How would you know that?"

He holds up his handheld. "I did all kinds of research about what not to give a pregnant woman."

She laughs in response. Of course that would be how he knew. She feels stupid for even asking. They continue walking until they reach an area of the garden that she hadn't picked from yet.

"It's a shame about that because Stella had lavenders planted all over the garden and now she won't be able to see them because of the baby," he says. "Noctis wanted to have them all pulled and I think Stella almost hit him over the head."

It makes the funniest mental picture and she laughs.

"But I think it was more the pregnancy hormones than Stella," he reasons dryly.

He says it so dryly that it makes her laugh again.

"They're my favorite thing to look at when I come here," she admits when she's gotten control of her laughter. "We don't have any back home." She spies a few white daisies and makes her way towards them. "These are so pretty. I wonder what other colors I can find to go with them," she says absently to herself.

Bending down, she plucks three before pursing her lips as she looks around for something that would go with them. She stops short when she realizes that Sapien isn't standing over her anymore. Confused and a little hurt at his sudden departure, she has to blink her eyes a few times to refocus herself. She lets out a sigh before standing straight and turning around. Only to see three brightly colored daisies of Fushia, Hot Pink and Blush.

"Maybe something bright?" he asks, lowering them so they're not so close to her face. His eyebrows furrow as she gapes at him in surprise. "You don't like them?"

He'd completely misread her look of surprise for dislike.

"No!" she cries as he's about to drop them. "No, they're lovely." She reaches over and takes them from him quickly.

"You don't have to spare my feelings," he says. "I was just trying to be helpful."

Sapien was always helpful. It was the reason Noctis and Stella always went to him first if they needed something. So it shouldn't have surprised her that he was going to try to be helpful here. It was like a natural reflex for him.

"You just caught me off guard, that's all," she says, putting her arm out to stare at how well the colors worked together. "Des never helped me. He just watched."

He nods but doesn't say anything.

"Where did you find them? I think we need a couple more," she says.

He points to a spot just behind her. She smiles in thanks before making her way over to it and finishes making Stella's bouquet.

It turned out to be Stella's favorite of the bouquets she had made her. Which made her smile before telling her that it had been a joint effort between Sapien and herself. Stella had looked shocked while Noctis smirked before shaking his head. Neither Des or Sapien made it to dinner that night, but that didn't sadden her at all. It gave her a chance to spend the evening with Stella, Noctis and Vires.

At about two in the morning, there was a frantic knocking at her door. She'd known as soon as she heard it, what it meant. But it didn't stop her from jumping out of her bed and making a mad dash to open the door.

"I'm sorry to wake you, Mira," Sapien says.

"Stella's gone into labor?" she asks, even though she can already guess.

He nods.

"Can I have a minute to get my robe?" she asks, embarrassed that she didn't think to put it on before opening the door.

"Of course," he replies but it doesn't look like he's even noticed her state of undress.

She leaves the door open a crack and runs to grab her robe. Throwing it over her shoulders quickly, she ties it loosely in her haste to get back to the door.

"I'm ready," she says, walking out into the hall.

He nods at her before rushing to lead her to where Stella had been taken.

Stella's labor lasted a full twenty four hours. During which, nobody got any sleep and nobody even thought to leave the spot they'd been in when they'd first gotten there. She's not sure how the three brothers got through that time. She didn't see them. They waited in the room next door while she and the rest of the midwives bustled around Stella. Sometimes she heard Des say something really loud and she didn't even have to hear the words to know that she would have laughed at them. It helps to remind her that they were all there and that helped her as the hours wore on. There had been periods where the experienced midwives would step out to get a breather but she stayed dutifully by Stella's side. Even Noctis was told to take a breather when Stella would have a rest between contractions. She loved watching them together. They had the kind of love that always made you feel teary eyed and happy. It was only when they were together that they felt complete and you could see it. She watched the agony on Noctis' face as Stella tried to remember breathing when the pain struck her. When the bed started to shake from his anxiety, he was told to walk outside and see his friends. Thankfully, Noctis did see reason and would leave until he was calm enough to return.

It was very early in the morning when finally, Stella began to give birth. She remembers Noctis whispering in Stella's ear as she gathered all her strength to push. There hadn't been anything for her to do but watch as everything seemed to happen at once. Stella gave a cry of relief, Noctis' hand still grasped within hers as she fell back onto the propped up pillows behind her. She couldn't see the baby but the midwives were working quickly. Then she heard it. The cries of a healthy baby and all the women began to shout all at once.

"A son! A son!"

Her eyes stayed on the couple on the bed. Noctis didn't seem to hear as he pressed his forehead against Stella's whispering words only for her. He leans forward to kiss her brow before turning his head to look at his son for the first time. The baby's already been wrapped in clean linens and was handed to the King of Nihilsomno.

"Keep your hand behind his neck," advises one of the midwives before she starts to clean up.

Noctis and Stella both stare at their son as if they'd never seen anything more precious in the entire world.

"Stella, he's perfect," says Noctis and he kisses her on the lips in gratitude.

She laughs as any proud mother would as she runs her finger gently along her son's little cheek.

"My dark prince," she says softly to him. She turns to smile again at Noctis and they both beam at each other.

It looks like they're glowing together as they look at each other before turning their attention back to their son. She almost feels like an invader for witnessing such a private moment when Stella turns to look at her.

"Mira! What are you doing standing over there? Come here," says Stella. "You don't have to stay away."

She approaches them to stand on the other side of Stella and stares at the new prince.

"Oh Stella," she breathes as she can feel the tears in her own eyes. "He's perfect."

Vibrant blue eyes stare back at her curiously before looking back at his parents. His small hand clutches onto Noctis' finger as he stares at each of them in turn.

"Noct, he has your hair!" cries Des from the doorway. "I'd notice those spikes anywhere."

She looks up to see Noctis' three brothers standing together, hovering in the doorway.

"Come in guys," says Noctis.

Des rushes over to Noctis' side of the bed while Sapien and Vires walk over to the side she is standing on. Des shamelessly starts to coo and make baby noises as the other two quietly watch beside her. Noctis' son stares at Des, blinking as if he doesn't understand what Des thinks he's doing. He still has Noctis' finger in his grasp as he turns his head to look at the other two.

"He even has your facial expressions," comments Sapien with a smirk. "I've seen _that_ look before."

Vires chuckles in a low rumble while Des laughs.

The little thing yawns and blue eyes blink lazily as he looks up at his mother. He smiles at her before closing his eyes and falls asleep.

"Already a mama's boy," whispers Des as he stares at him.

"I think it's safe to say that everyone should get some sleep," says Sapien, looking at the worn looks on both parents' faces. "We'll leave you guys alone now."

Noctis gently gets up and lays his son inside the little crib beside the bed.

"What are you going to name him, Noct?" asks Des.

"I, I have no idea," Noctis answers softly.

"I know," says Stella with a tired smile. "But the rest of you will have to wait until tomorrow."

Des almost makes a cry of protest before Vires slaps a hand over his mouth from waking the baby.

"Come on," orders Sapien as he jerks his thumb towards the door at Des and Vires.

"Good night, Stella," she says as she leans in to kiss Stella on the cheek.

"Thank you so much, Mira," Stella sighs.

She looks at them one more time before she follows behind the guys. Sapien closes the door behind them quietly while Des yawns loudly. It looks like he can't even keep his eyes open now that the excitement has died down.

"Need someone to walk you to your rooms, Mira?" asks Des, even though he's in no condition to do so himself.

She smiles at him gratefully. "Yes."

"Let's go," Des says as he makes his way over to the door.

"You're not going to make it up two flights of stairs," says Vires with a roll of his eyes.

"I can walk Mira to her room," protests Des as he lets out another yawn.

"Sapien, you walk Mira to her rooms," says Vires, pushing Des in the other direction.

She wants to laugh but finds she's too tired to do even that. Seeing Des makes her realize how exhausted she is too. She watches Des and Vires before Sapien nudges her with his hand on her back to get her walking. When she does start moving she feels sluggish.

"Do you need me to carry you?" he asks with concern.

"No, that's all right," she says with a weak shake of her head. "But could I lean on you?"

"Of course," he says, offering her his arm to cling to. "You were really helpful in there."

"Not really," she says. "I didn't know what I was doing half the time."

"But you were there and willing to help."

"It's the least I can do for them," she says because it's true. It was the very least she could do and she was honored that they had been willing to share such a pivotal moment with her. She knows it's a moment that she will never forget. Sapien doesn't say anything else as they start to make their way up the stairs. "You're not going to go to sleep, are you."

"Maybe after I get a few things done," he answers, but she knows better.

"You're really helpful too, you know."

"It's the least I can do for them," he replies, using her own words.

"But you're always helpful," she says. "What about you? Who helps you?"

He's saved from replying when she stumbles on a step. He catches her before hooking an arm behind her knees and around her back, easily lifting her to his chest and carrying her the rest of the way. She doesn't even have the strength to grab his neck to help. All she can manage is a loose grasp of one side of his collar.

"I feel like a child right now," she mumbles unhappily.

"Why?"

She can hear the amusement in his voice.

"Carrying me like I fell asleep in front of the TV."

He chuckles and she can hear the vibrations of it where her ear is pressed against his chest.

"But you're not a child anymore," he states.

"Yet I always feel like one," she sighs drowsily. "I don't think I'll ever be a woman to any of you."

"Des knows that you are," he counters.

When they reach her rooms, he carries her inside and into the bedroom.

"Heartbreaker," she murmurs with a roll of her eyes. The light of the sun has begun to peak through her drawn curtains and she wishes she could stay awake as he carries her over to her bed. "Who's heart have I broken to deserve that title?"

He pulls back the covers before carefully placing her on the mattress. The sheets are cold and she shivers before she feels him gently place the comforter over her. She doesn't even have the strength to say good night as she closes her eyes. Right before sleep claims her completely she could have sworn she had heard him whisper something but she was already too far gone to hear what he says.

When she finally woke up, it was early evening. Most of the other Crystal Bearers had already arrived to join in the celebration. The castle was alive with the many guests that had come to fill its halls and she knows who was responsible for arranging everything. After making sure to talk with Vitrum, she had rushed to check on Stella and the baby. She found both of them surrounded by Militis, Tonitrus, Grando, Procella and Sol. Astra and Fulgur were on their way, she was told. It was so good to see all of them and they looked just as happy to see her too. It was like having a family reunion.

"You've bloomed into a very beautiful woman, Mira," Sol tells her later, when she's in the gardens to gather another bouquet for Stella.

"Thank you, Sol," she says, almost afraid to look him in the eye.

"Forgive me for being blunt my dear, Mira," Sol apologizes and she can hear the hesitation in his voice. "But I feel I must since I care about you a great deal like a little sister."

Never has that phrase ever felt as comforting as it did coming from Sol's lips.

"What is it?" she asks, finally able to peer up into his face.

"Which one of them are you in love with?" asks Sol. There is no mocking behind the question but it does make her still.

"Why do you ask me that?" she asks and she's afraid he's going to tell her how obvious she's been.

"Those Nihil men seem to ensnare the Crystal Bearer women," he explains. "And you have gotten closer to them than the other two ever could."

Other two meaning Astra and Procella. Both who have had feelings towards at least one of the four Nihil men. So it wasn't that she was obvious. That was a big relief.

"You're asking me because you want to warn me off them?" she asks curiously.

"It depends on which one you've set your heart on," Sol answers.

She frowns at him in confusion. All three of them would be wonderful husbands.

He smiles patiently at her. "If it was Sapien then I am relieved," says Sol.

"What difference does it make?" she asks.

Sol smiles at her patiently again. "My dear Mira, only a man who absolutely adores everything you've become will do."

She knows all three adored her so she still doesn't see the difference.

"I would have to dissuade you from marrying someone like Des."

"Only because you dislike him so much," she retorts.

"No, because he isn't what you need," Sol says with too much conviction. "He isn't a good choice for you."

She looks down at the flowers in front of her as she thinks this over.

"Told the others that I had to keep an eye on you," Des says behind them.

She and Sol turn around to see him watching them with an eyebrow quirked.

"If you're here to save Mira from getting her virtue tainted, you're looking at the wrong man," retorts Sol.

"Just knew you wouldn't be able to resist," says Des with a knowing grin. "I didn't recognize her either when she came."

"You didn't?" mocks Sol. "Sometimes you really do surprise me with your density, Bobble head."

Des merely shrugs in reply. "Honest mistake," he says. "Noct says he needs to see you, Sunshine."

"Then I shall have to leave you, Mira," says Sol as he smiles down at her.

She nods at him because she's not sure what else to say.

"Looks like you're done gathering your flowers, Heartbreaker," says Des with a grin, as he sits down on the grass across from her.

"Des, why am I really a heartbreaker?" she asks seriously. "And don't says because of my smile either."

"Why the serious question?" Des jokes.

"It's just… well its one thing to be cute but to be a heartbreaker.? Like I'm some sort of maneater," she tries to explain.

"Maneater!" Des laughs. He tilts his head as he grins at her. "Okay, I see you're serious and despite what people think about me, I can be serious too. You've always been one of the few that can see that."

She smiles as she nods at him. He takes a breathe as he thinks over what to say.

"Well, you break my heart because you've grown up. You're not that little girl anymore and I can't play with you like I always loved to," Des answers. "That little girl who's face lit up and demanded a hug is all gone now. Gone and never coming back."

"I would have but you looked so confused when we said hello," she says.

"We both know that you can't do that anymore," Des answers. "It's not fitting for the lady that you've grown up to be. Grown up too fast if you ask me. Now you're smart enough to know better than me."

"You're saying I'm not fun anymore," she says, but she doesn't feel offended by it.

"It's just different," Des says. "You're not going to huddle with me and plan sneaky things with anymore."

No, she supposes she wouldn't. Maybe she _had_ changed on the inside too.

"Have I hurt you, Mira?" Des asks with a worried frown on his face.

"No, not at all," she says with a shake of her head. "But I do think you're an idiot if you think I'll ever be too big to demand a hug from you."

"Ha!" he slaps his knee. "Let's get those flowers to Stell before they start to wilt in this heat." He jumps to his feet and offers a hand down to her.

She smiles gratefully at him and takes his hand.

"You know," says Des as they walk back into the castle. "I'm glad you asked me that. I feel loads better telling you."

"You do?"

"Yeah, didn't know how much that was bothering me until now," Des says with a sigh of relief.

"I feel better too, Des," she says and its not a lie. She would be lying if she said she hadn't felt comfortable after what happened when he had first seen her. To see him looking at her as more than a little sister made her feel weird and uneasy. Of course, his easy dismissal had helped and she had been glad when he'd started to act more like he always had with her. But when he had dubbed her a heart breaker, she'd felt that uncomfortable feeling all over again despite covering over it.

"All you gals are heartbreakers anyway," says Des. "Whether you're young, old, big or small. We men are useless to your charms."

"And you love us all," she teases.

"You betcha, honey," grins Des with a roguish wink. "Don't know what I'd do without cha, pretty girls. I love ya, I do."

She laughs all the way back inside.

Nihilsomno rejoiced with the birth of it's new son. Prince Lunae Lux Caelum was a national treasure as far as anyone was concerned. She doesn't think there will ever be another baby that would be as closely watched as he would be. The people were eager for any morsel of information they could get about him. Everybody outside the castle was all ablaze with celebration regarding the news. But within the walls of the castle, you wouldn't have ever known a more peaceful and happy scene. It was quiet and joyful and completely unaware of the goings on of the world outside. She saw Stella as often as she could, but she knew that this was a time for the family. This was the time for just Stella and Noctis and their new son, Lunae, to be together. It had made her smile when Stella had told her that Lunae Lux meant, 'Moonlight.' Moonlight Heaven. It fit right into her theory, but she kept those thoughts to herself in case she was getting ahead of herself.

Vitrum had not stayed for long and that meant that it was nearly time for her to return home as well. He came only long enough to give his personal congratulations and catching up with everyone else, before rushing back to his lady. She was about to gain another sister. She already knew this and Vitrum was beside himself with hurry to introduce them to each other now. Yet, instead of becoming excited, like she normally would have, the idea of losing her brother caused a pain. An intense pain that magnified when she thought of how grown up Vitrum had become. How he had easily been able to prove himself a man to everyone and she had only shown herself to still be a whiny child to the one that mattered.

Her airship was not due to leave until the early evening so that she could sleep for the entire journey. It gave her time to sit in her favorite place, under a tree looking out to the lavender garden that Stella had lovingly planted but could not enjoy. She had already said her good byes to everyone so they didn't have to see her off. So it was just a matter of waiting. Des had hugged her as enthusiastically as he had before, making her giggle. She had seen everyone except _him_. He'd been busy since the moment Lux was born. Making official announcements, making arrangements for the inevitable crowd of visitors, making sure that Noctis would not be kept from his family longer than was necessary and just about everything else.

Always helpful. Always dependable. Always unattainable. The man didn't even have time to sleep. So he wouldn't have the time to realize she loved him and he definitely wouldn't have time to deal with it. She can picture it now. Her completely humiliating herself with a forward outburst of emotion, telling him that she'd loved him ever since he had saved her two years ago. She knew that he's been the one mainly responsible for figuring out the cure. She had always had a special place in her heart for him anyway. His reaction to all this would be to smile at her kindly, tap her head like he used to and then tell her that he loved her too. Only it wouldn't be the love she was talking about. It would be that other kind that she wanted from everyone else but him.

She sighs to herself as she accepts this. It would be better not to tell him. She would only embarrass herself and him in the process. It would be better to go on like they were instead of an uncomfortable tension that would have him avoiding her so as not to hurt her feelings. She just needs to accept that it was not going to happen. In an hour she would be leaving Nihilsomno and it would be another two years before another event would take place and she would see him again. Maybe then she would be able to see him without feeling the way she did now. She already knows she won't be able to ever see him without feeling this way, but she was going to try for his sake. He didn't need the burden of her feelings along with everything else he had to deal with.

"I thought I might find you here."

She opens her wine colored eyes to look up at him before a smile automatically reaches her lips.

"I had to see my favorite place before I left," she says, looking out to the lavender blossoms as they gently swayed with the summer breeze.

He nods but he doesn't turn to look at the flowers.

"I've come to tell you that a thunderstorm is expected in Nihilsomno, so your flight has been bumped up," he says. "It'll be leaving in thirty minutes."

"Oh!" she startles in surprise. He offers her a hand and she takes it gratefully. "Thank you."

"Des couldn't make it to escort you so you'll have to suffer my presence instead," he says in apology.

She stops to look at him with a surprised scowl. Suffer his presence?

He blinks down at her and hesitates. "I could arrange things so that he could," he offers, taking out his handheld.

"No," she says as she puts her hand over the screen. "I'd rather you took me actually."

He stops to stare at her with that look on his face before he nods and puts his handheld back into his pocket. She follows him out of the gardens and into the car that he has waiting for them. They sit on opposite sides of the backseat and she has never felt a larger gap sitting like this before. It's like a deep chasm between them. Which was absolutely fitting to how they were in real life.

"You've been busy," she says in order to break the silence.

"A little," he answers with a shrug.

"More than just a little," she teases. "I doubt you've slept at all these past few days."

"I've never been much of a sleeper," he shrugs.

"Do you ever?"

"When I can."

"You're going to turn older before your time," she chides.

"It's already past my time," he says.

"You never have time, even for that," she points out.

"That's true," he agrees.

"I wish you would make time," she says, sad for his sake.

At the tone of her voice, he turns to look at her. "Make time for what?"

"Something other than working."

He fixes that look on her again before he replies. "It keeps me from thinking about things that I shouldn't," he answers as he looks away and out towards the approaching airfield.

It's a loaded statement but she doesn't understand what it means. She wishes that she did, but it's not something that she can ask him.

"Maybe you should think about those things," she suggests. "They might be important."

"What if I think about them too much as it is?" he asks, still staring out the window.

"Then they are definitely important."

"They don't think of me as much as I think of them," he answers vaguely.

That statement loses her again. It's another loaded statement that she's not in a position to ask him about. It's hard for her to imagine what things could keep Sapien's mind distracted. He always seemed so focused on whatever it was that he was doing. Nothing really seemed to phase him.

The car comes to a stop beside her airship and he opens the door to help her out.

"I need to do that," she says finally.

"What?" he asks, looking down at her curiously.

"Have no time to think about the things that I shouldn't," she answers and she can't look at him in the face when she says it.

"Do you think about things that you shouldn't?" he asks quietly.

"Yes," she says sadly. "But they have no time to think of me."

It's her own loaded statement and it's the closest she will ever get to telling him.

They stand together awkwardly as the engines of her airship roar to life. "Take care of yourself, Sapien."

He smiles warmly at her in that familiar way that usually puts her heart at ease. Only this time it breaks her heart.

"You take care of yourself too, Heartbreaker," he says but it lacks the teasing tone that should have come with it.

She smiles to keep the tears from being too obvious before turning around and boarding her airship. She doesn't stop and she doesn't turn around. It's not until the ship is in the air and she's on her way back home does she allow one tear to slide down her cheek.

"_I feel like a child right now," she mumbles unhappily._

"_Why?"_

"_Carrying me like I fell asleep in front of the TV."_

_He chuckles and she can hear the vibrations of it where her ear is pressed against his chest. It was comforting. His scent was comforting too. A completely male scent that made her feel safe._

"_But you're not a child anymore," he says._

"_Yet I always feel like one," she sighs. "I don't think I'll ever be a woman to any of you." Especially to you._

"_Des knows that you are," he counters._

_When they reach her rooms, he carries her inside and into the bedroom. _

"_Heartbreaker," she sighs with a roll of her eyes. "Who's heart have I broken to deserve that title?"_

_He pulls back the covers before carefully placing her on the mattress. The sheets are cold and she shivers as she feels him gently place the comforter over her. She doesn't even have the strength to say good night as she closes her eyes. _

_Gentle hands brush her hair away from her face and the weight of his stare go unnoticed as he speaks below a whisper. "You've broken mine."_

Her eyes fly open as she jolts to sit upright. Her heart races in her ears, filling the silence of the room. She can see the morning rays of the sun make their way into the windows and she knows that she is almost home. Home when she wanted to be so far away from it right now.

_You've broken mine. _His voice is an echoing whisper in her ear.

That is what he had whispered when she had been too tired to hear. She had broken _his _heart? How? Did he think? That was why he always brought Des up. He thought, that she was in love with Des? Of course he would think that. Of course everyone would too. Des brought out a side of her that even she didn't know was there, but it was not because she loved him like _that_. She had never loved Des in that way. Her heart feels like it'll beat right out of her chest. The captain announces their descent and she rushes out of bed to prepare herself.

The ship does not land fast enough. She's not even sure where she is going in such a hurry. All she knows is that Sapien was wrong. He had misread everything. She needed to tell him and she had no way to tell him. It was all she could do to not ask the Captain to turn back around, but that wouldn't have been fitting. She couldn't even pick up the phone and call either. It wasn't a conversation that could be spoken over the phone anyway. By the time she reached her home, she was a little bit frantic. Her plan had simply been to go to her rooms and pace until she could find something else to occupy her mind. She was on her way to do just that when Vitrum stopped her.

"There you are, Mira!" he calls, running over to embrace her.

She half heartedly returns his embrace, but she is glad to see her brother.

"You're never going to believe this!" he says as he takes her hand and leads her outside. "It doesn't make any sense."

"What is it? What's going on?"

"A ship from Nihilsomno came," he says as he walks quickly towards their gardens. "It must have come right after I left to see Lux. They left this morning."

"Why did they come?" she asks, barely able to keep up with her brother's longer strides.

"See!" Vitrums shouts, finally stopping at the corner of the large hedge to the outskirts of their gardens.

She peaks around the tall bush. Only to have her hand fly to her mouth as she gasps. Hundreds of lavender blossoms in full bloom lay planted before her. It looks exactly like the one in Nihilsomno.

"Why would they fly all these over here?" asks Vitrum with a shake of his head. "Did you order them?"

"No," she says weakly as she shakes her head. "I didn't order them."

"I thought maybe they were a gift from Stella for helping her," suggests Vitrum.

No, they were definitely not from Stella. Stella didn't even know that she loved lavender flowers so much. Stella didn't know how much she loved sitting among the purple blossoms, inhaling the soothing aroma of their fragrance and staring at them thoughtfully. There was only one person who knew that.

"Mira?"

"Huh?" she says blinking numbly at her brother.

"I said there was a note that came with it," says Vitrum, handing her an envelope. "It has your name on it and its sealed so I haven't looked at it."

She clasps the sealed envelope with shaking hands as she reads her name in a distinctly masculine handwriting.

"Are you all right?" Vitrum asks her with a worried look on his face.

"I'm, I'm just surprised," she answers looking at the envelope in her hands. "Vitrum can you give me a moment? I think I'd like to rest here for a bit before going to unpack."

"If you're sure you're okay," he says.

"I'm fine," she says slowly walking closer to the flowers. "I just need a moment alone."

"I'll be my study," he says, giving her another worried look before disappearing behind the tall bush.

She clutches at her heart as she makes for the middle of the flowers and nearly stumbles to sit down among them. It couldn't have been, could it? Who else would know? She's too afraid to hope, but there is no other person that she could think of that would do this. No other person that would know to do this. That only left... she looks down at the envelope in her hands and finds them shaking again. She cracks the sealing wax and slowly slides out the card.

_Hoping this might have you think of me at least half as much as I'll think of you._

"Half as much as I'll think of you," she repeats in a whisper. "Half?"

_They don't think of me as much as I think of them._

Pressing the note to her chest, she stares down at the lavender blossoms before her. They'd been meticulously arranged. Like there had been specific instruction on how they were to be planted. Even that, could only have been _him_. She doesn't know how long she sits there. All she can think about is how she would ever be good enough to deserve a man like Sapien. Someone so focused and intent, had placed all his focus and intent on her. How could he have thought she didn't think of him too?

She didn't have the chance to call him after she returned home. The thunderstorm that he had warned her about had severely damaged certain parts of the city and she had no doubts that he was knee deep in whatever was happening to fix it. He wouldn't have had a chance to speak to her and his phone had probably already been ringing off the hook. After that, one thing happened after another. She had grown anxious about telling him, impatient to clear things between them so that he knew. So that he didn't give up on her. It was a month after she had returned home that she received the first package. The package had arrived one afternoon from a place she hadn't recognized. It hadn't been signed but she already knew who had sent it. As she sat in her lavender garden, she thought about what this meant but found she couldn't come to a good conclusion. So she decided to wait and see what else he would do.

Two weeks later another package arrived from somewhere else. This time it had come from Solis. When she had opened it she had been a mixture of tears and laughter. Inside, was a small box of the candies she'd loved while they had been there years ago. This had finally allowed the thought to hit her. That while Sapien still thought she was in love with Des, he wasn't going to give her up without a fight. It made her heart flutter as she realized that he was trying to make _her_ fall in love with _him_. She doesn't think she moved for a good hour from shock before she made herself snap out of it and carry on.

It was in that moment that her previous urgency had diminished. It wasn't the time to be hasty and rush. She wouldn't demand any more of his time than he could give and rushing now would only keep him from the things he needed to do. This didn't change that, but that didn't mean it would never change. She saw that then. Even within the words of the first card, they weren't the urgent pleadings of an impatient lover. No, they were the words from a man that was going to wait and so she would wait. Waiting would be different for her now. Now she knew who was waiting for her too.

Days pass and turn into months. How quickly months turn into a year. Her brother was finally engaged to be married. Their kingdom had just finished a very successful harvest. Which brought hope to an equally successful trading season. She'd been busy during this time. Taking him as an example and keeping her mind occupied on the things that needed to be done instead of being idle and unproductive. Now she had wedding arrangements to help plan with her soon to be sister in law. There were so many things that she needed to help with.

It is when she is in the middle of tending to her horses that an urgent message is delivered from Nihilsomno. She smiles a secret smile when she hears that Stella is pregnant with her second child. It makes those hopeful words come back to her.

_Day and Night combine to create the Eclipse of a new era. A new world has begun._

Night had already been born in the form of Lunae. She had no doubts now that Day was on it's way and once it arrived, it would signal the dawn of a new era. Then the new world would begin.

**The End.**

* * *

End Notes: It's finished! -bawls-


End file.
